Olympians at the Call: A Percy Jackson Fanfiction
by LivingTwice
Summary: Sixteen year old Bellanca Delaney isn't expecting any Greek mythology to be real, until she gets attacked by it. She soon finds Camp Half Blood while getting attacked, and is learning how to adjust to all of the magic and weapons. She meets Percy Jackson and his friends at camp, and as she was hoping, Bellanca will finally have quite an adventurous life, for a demigod.
1. Chapter 1

Honestly, I never knew what really happened. I was just placed in a foster home, then bam! Some weird hybrid thing attacks me a week later.

I was expecting a normal life with a normal family, but no. My dad had to join the army. He had to get deployed to Afghanistan, and he just had to never come back. Afterwards, I had to live with my step-mom and step-brother in California, since my biological mom left my dad. My step-mom just _had_ to force me to go to that stupid picnic for school, only resulting in a car crash that killed both her _and _my step-brother, who was only ten. And the worst part of it? I wasn't dead yet. Instead, the police decided to put me into a foster home without even blinking since I'm not eighteen. I'm not suicidal or anything, but my life couldn't get any worse. But _no_! I just ended up jinxing myself, having monsters attack me everyday.

I'd expect a bit of decent treatment, like some "Missing" posters at least, but the foster home never actually cared about the kids. They just wanted the money. If I were them, (thankfully I'm not), I would've put a notice on my absence because it could've also included some money and publicity for help, but all of the staff there are ruthless and stupid.

I jar back to reality, sitting down and leaning on a tree. I haven't showered for three days, ever since I ran into a lake. The last actual shower I had was at the foster home, but didn't run because I wanted to, only because a second monster came to try and kill me. Luckily, it ran off before I could do anything, but it gave me a very heartwarming message. The monster told me, "If you don't leave here, you'll be dead by a month from today." or something like that. I would've ignored it, but there was a feeling that that thing wasn't lying to me. Plus, that was about three months ago.

I assume I'm in New York, since I was heading Northeast, but why Northeast, I don't know. Probably because it was the only path a monster wouldn't come hurtling itself towards me. I found some small woods to conceal myself in, but I know I won't be resting for long. Those monsters are attracted to me like I'm the butter to their bread, and I wouldn't be surprised if they use me for exactly that purpose. I remember hearing one say my "scent" is strong, whatever that means. I lift my head up against the tree a bit, looking at the night sky. Then I hear a rustle of leaves from a bush not too far from me, and I know it's show time. Thankfully, I have a weapon. I stole a steel sword from a guy's house that recently caught fire. I mean yeah, I feel bad for being the one who actually set his house on fire, but I'm just glad I actually found something pretty useful.

I stand up, holding my sword, and wait for the monster to jump at me because I'm really not in the mood for attacking it on the spot. It slowly comes out of the bush, a bit too dramatically. I'm not describing what it looks like, since I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want to know if you had the chance to leave without a problem, either. "Half blood." it snarls at me. I roll my eyes. "Can you and your monster friends stop calling me that? In fact, can you all please stop trying to eat me?" I ask it stubbornly. "Feisty one, I see," I grip the sword tightly.

"Unlike my brothers, I won't be gone so easily." The monster starts towards me, so I sprint away from it. I dodge the trees, bushes, and tree stumps. Since the woods I'm in aren't so big, I run straight into a clearing of nothing but grass. Instead of focusing on the monster, I daydream a bit while running mindlessly.

Maybe I should've brought a bag with me, with my important belongings in it, but no. I only have a note my dad left me before he went to Afghanistan and a picture of him in my pocket, and that's all._  
_

I jar back to reality, and see a large set of woods in front of me. I glance behind my shoulder, but the monster had caught up to me. It's about to grab me, but I push myself further so it only slashes my back. I feel a stinging sensation, but run into the woods, knowing the monster will have more difficulty chasing me since it's ten times larger. I dodge dozens of trees and jump over a log or two.

I hop over some tree roots, only to get my foot caught, making me fall on my stomach. I look back and see the monster is about to tackle me, so I roll to the side. It lands at where I was a second ago, and I get up from the ground and try to run further. The monster grabs my foot at the last second, and slides it beneath me so I land hard on my stomach again, my sword falling out of my hands. The monster drags me towards itself, and I claw at the ground and try to grab hold of my sword, but it's out of reach. I kick at the monsters face, hitting it in the eye.

I look above the ground, and see a single pine tree on a hill, probably five yards away. I don't know why, but I get a feeling that I need to get past that tree.

The monster's hand reaches my face, and I kick around harder. It's claws scratch at my mouth, and I feel a cut from the right corner of my lip, down. That should leave a mark. Finally, I grab hold of something, a large rock, and force myself on my back. The monster gets up, but keeps its hairy claw on my shoulder so I can't get away. Luckily, the rock is in my other hand so I can throw it easily. I bring my hand back as far as it can go, and hurl the rock to the monster's face, going inside its mouth. It lets go of my shoulder, and I get up as fast as I can, forgetting my sword on the ground.

I sprint to the tree, and glance back at the monster one more time. It seems like it's about to try and jump on me again, so I jump past the pine tree, and end up rolling downhill. I try to stop myself, but there's already too much momentum. I cover my face with my hands and wait to come to a stop.

The world finally stops spinning, and I stand up, even though it hurts. I look up the hill for the monster, but it's not chasing me anymore. I turn around taking in my surroundings. There's a blue and creamy white house not too far from where I'm at. There are kids and teenagers of all ages, doing different things. A group is laughing and talking to one another, and also some kids playing tag. I see a silhouette of someone running towards me, since the sun is setting.

"Hey, are you okay," the person asks. It turns out to be a boy who seems to be my age. "I just saw you tumble downhill! Oh, my name is Jake, by the way."

I nod. "It's okay, I'm fine." I say, then wipe some blood from my lip, where the monster clawed at me.

"Here, follow me." Jake says, carefully grabbing my arm and leading me to the blue house in the distance.

We walk together in silence, but I don't mind. Jake tells me to stay outside while he talks to someone, and I pace around in silence.

"Chiron said you should go to the infirmary, obviously," Jake says, coming out from the Big House. "You'll get fixed up there." He leads me to somewhere not so far.

"But there was a monster chasing me right out- wait, did you say Chi-" I start, but Jake interrupts me.

"It's okay. I can promise you that you're safe now." We finally make it to the infirmary, where a few people swarm us and bring me to a small bed. I turn around and see Jake wave goodbye, a hint of a smile on his face.

I lie down on my stomach and let people take care of me, which feels strange, considering the fact I've been on the run for a few months. They pour something on my back, where the monster slashed at me, making it soothe rather than burn. Somebody has me turn around on my back and hands me a cup.

"Here, drink this," she says. I take a sip, tasting warm fudge brownies right out of the oven. Weird, since the drink looks nothing like it at all. "You can sleep here for tonight, since it's already 8 o'clock. I'm sure you'll be claimed by tomorrow." With that, she winks at me then leaves.

Claimed? Is this some auction or something? What does she mean by "claimed?" And what did Jake mean by "Chiron?" Isn't he that centaur that trained heroes in Greek mythology?

I'm too tired to think it over some more, and I just finished my drink. I can worry about whatever this stuff is tomorrow. Surprisingly, I fall asleep with ease.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's notes: In my story, not everything exactly meets up with what's happening in the Heroes of Olympus series. Just thought I outta tell you, before you get confused**

* * *

I wake up with nothing to startle me, which is surprising. I look around for a clock, but there isn't one in sight. Instead, I see that guy from last night, Jake, sitting not too far from me, his arms crossed. "Morning," he says, greeting me with a smile. "Or should I say afternoon? You woke up late." I sit up.

Now that it's not so dark like last night, I can see him clearly. His hair is dirty blonde and spiky, and he's a bit tan, sort of like a surfer. I can tell he's pretty strong, since his muscles are big, but not bulging out like those weight lifters or MMA fighters. His eyes make him look innocent yet mischievous without him trying. Cute.

Oh gosh, I just realized I hadn't had an actual shower in a while. That's just great! Plus, I bet my hair is all tangl-wait a minute. Why do I suddenly want to impress him? I hardly even know him!

I mentally slam my forehead with my hand. "Hey, Jake," I say casually. "Can you explain to me everything that happened once you found me last night? Because I remember you saying something about 'Chiron,' but that guy is a centaur and he's from Greek mythology. Plus, somebody said something to me about being 'claimed' when she gave me this drink that tastes like brownies but doesn't actually look like brownies. And I just got attacked by _another _monster last night which I assume-"

"I see you're better now," Jake says, interrupting me. "Why don't you head on to the showers and I'll explain everything to you once you're done, okay? I can tell you've been journeying around lately. The showers are over there." he points somewhere not far from the infirmary. With that, Jake gives me a wink then leaves.

"Well, then, Bell." I say to myself. I feel a lump on the bed and see there's clothes on the blanket, some denim capris and an orange shirt that says, "Camp Half-blood."

I head to the showers and finally get cleaned up. Once I walk out, somebody bumps into me.

"Sorry," he says. He's pretty tall and has dark hair. He looks at me and I see his eyes are sea-green, which suits him a bit. I think he's my age, 16. "Have you seen Anna- hey are you that new girl everyone's talking about? You probably haven't met Annabeth, yet. She's my girlfriend. I'm Percy, by the way." he tells me, a bit fast.

"Umm, yeah, I just got here last night."

"So you are the new girl. I could show you around if you'd like. I'm pretty sure you're a bit confused with everything here, but it won't be a problem to explain to you. That's how it is to just about every newbie."

I'm about to reply, but Jake suddenly pops up right behind Percy, his arms crossed. "It's okay, Percy. I've got this."

"Okay," replies Percy. "By the way, I never caught your name."

"My name? It's Bellanca, but people call me Bell for short." I tell him. Percy has a sudden pain in his eyes, but then he covers it with a smile.

"Bellanca? That sort of sounds like Bianca, she was this girl I knew my third year here."

Before I can ask if that Bianca girl is here, Jake interrupts.

"Oh, Percy! I think I saw Annabeth over there." he says, pointing to a building with no walls or roof, only pillars like it's from Ancient Greece. But there are some long tables inside.

"Thanks." Percy says, running towards it. I turn to Jake. "What's that place?" I ask pointing to where Percy just went.

"The Dining Pavilion," he replies. "It's where we eat our meals."

"But what if it rains? We're in New York, right?"

Jake began walking towards a lake I hadn't noticed before. I follow him. "We don't have to worry about the weather over here. It can be a completely clear sky here in Camp Half-blood. Well, as long as we want it to be clear. There can be light snow in a heavy winter, or no rain while there's a thunderstorm." Jake sits down on the sand, far enough to where the water won't reach. I sit beside him, yet still able to see his face. I give him an expression to explain more.

He sighs. "Bell, you know about Greek mythology right? Well, that stuff isn't really just stories to explain how the sun rises or why there are thunder storms. Greek mythology is _real,_ and so are the gods and goddesses to go with it. Sometimes the gods come here, and meet mortals. They tend to fall in love with mortals, well a lot. Eventually they have a kid, who ends up being a half-blood, half-human, and half-god. Also known as a . . ." he says, expecting me to finish that sentence.

I take a deep breath. "Demigod." I can tell he's surprised I'm taking this well.

"Right. Here, Camp Half-blood, is where demigods can come and train and learn how to survive. It's one of the safest places in the world for people like us."

"Wait, that means not just the happy-go-lucky stuff is real, but the monsters and places, too?"

He nods. I think for a bit, staring at the water. There are some girls underwater that are waving at me. Not really thinking about them, I wave back. I breath in the summer air. I haven't been able to take in special sceneries like this, being on the run from monsters, and all.

"There's a cabin for each god or goddess, including the minor ones," Jake explains, interrupting my thoughts. "The cabin you go to depends on who your gody parent is. Like Percy, he's a son of Poseidon, therefore goes to to the Poseidon cabin. We should know which cabin you belong in by tonight, assuming you get claimed." I nod in understanding.

"But, I was taught that all of this _stuff_ are just myths." I tell Jake.

"You're real and alive, right? And so are the gods," he tells me. "Imagine if you have extraordinary adventures that end up making people want to write about you. A thousand years later and those true stories will end up becoming myths, making you just a story, too." I nod, and mentally shake off that little comment.

"So that person, Chiron, who you were talking about last night, is really here?" I ask. I watch the sun set in the distance. I guess I really did wake up late.

"Yep," Jake says standing up. "In fact, you should be meeting him at dinner." He holds out his hand, and I take it. We walk towards the Dining Pavilion, and so does everyone else, I see.

"You're going to have to sit at the Hermes table until you're claimed. Like the cabins, you sit at the table for who your godly parent is. I'm a son of Apollo, so I'll be at a different table. I think you should meet the Stoll brothers, they're both sons of Hermes. I'll make sure they explain everything about the meals to you without any lies." With that, Jake runs over to some guys that look alike, one of them probably a year older than me.

They both glance over at me with mischievous grins. A few minutes later, all three of them walk towards me. "So," one of the guys say. "This is her, Jake? I'm Connor, and that's my brother Travis. We're the Stolls."

"Remember," Jake says to both of the Stoll brothers. "If you play a prank or steal anything from her while we're eating, I'll make sure my arrow gets sent well." With that happy note, Jake walks over and sits down at a table with people that sort of look like him.

The Stolls turn around and walk over to a table, Connor gesturing for me to follow. I sit down, seeing kids with arched eyebrows and mischievous smiles, like the Stolls. They all push each other around and laugh. Travis sits down on my left side, while Connor sits on my right, trapping me between them. I'd give Jake a _help me_ kind of look, but my back is facing his table, and I'm pretty sure Connor or Travis might make fun of me if I do so.

I see a slice of pepperoni pizza appear on Connor's plate, right out of thin air. A small burger appears on my plate, along with a drink. I expect Connor to scoff down his food right away, but instead he stands up and walks to a fire, taking his plate with him. I look around and see everyone else do the same thing, so I copy them. I stand next to Connor in front of the fire, watching people throw in a piece of food.

"Why is everybody putting their food in the fire?" I whisper to Connor.

"It's our offering to the gods," he replies. "They like the smell."

We sit back down at the table, and everyone finally begins to eat. I take time eating my food, it's been a while since I've had an actual meal.

I notice from the corner of my eye that Travis is studying me like I'm a hybrid duckling or something. "What?" I ask.

"I'm just . . . Thinking of who your godly parent might be," Travis tells me. "Not an Ares kid, you don't have that I'm-gonna-pulverize-you-and-your-little-puppy-too look, right Connor?" We both look at Connor, who shakes his head. "Probably not an Apollo kid," Travis continues. "You don't really look like them. Plus, I think Jake might be pretty stumped if you end up being his half-sibling. He's single, too, just to let you know." he chuckles at that last part.

"First off, My mom would be my godly parent, since my dad's mortal. Second, Why would Jake be 'stumped' if I'm his half-sibling? And why would I need to know if he's single?" I ask him.

Travis grins. "Haven't you thought, even a little bit, of how you're able to date people here if one of our parents are related," he asks. I don't reply, even if the answer is yes. "Well, since our parents are being gods and all, we basically just ignore the whole 'family-tree' thing. Date whoever you want, as long as you're not in the same cabin! Everybody in the same cabin as you are your half-siblings." He points a finger at me jokingly. I roll my eyes and continue eating.

When I'm almost done with my food, a stomping noise comes from the front of all the tables. I look up and see a man pounding his hooves on the ground. Wait-what? I blink, but see the same thing. A normal man, but from the waist down, he's a . . . Stallion. A white stallion is acting as his bottom half.

"Connor," I ask, poking his arm. He turns around and raises his eyebrows. "I-I think I'm going a bit mental. It looks like he's half-man and half-"

"Horse," Connor says, interrupting me. "Yeah, that's Chiron, the centaur. We're all pretty shocked the first time we see his true form." He turns his attention back to the centaur.

"Half-bloods, your attention before the meal is over," Chiron calls, silencing us. A regular man with a potbelly walks up next to Chiron and says, "We received a new half-blood last night. Her name is- What's her name again?" The man asks Chiron, who tells him, "Her name is Bellanca Delaney, Mr. D." Mr. D. looks back at us and shouts, "Brianna Delis! Welcome to Camp Half-blood, Brianna. Blah blah blah and other stuff." Mr. D walks back to the table and continues eating. Brianna Delis doesn't even sound like my name at all.

Chiron then looks at me and beckons me up there. I glance back at Travis, who nods and grabs my arm to help me out of the table. I walk up to the front and stand next to Chiron. I can't help myself with shock and whisper to him, "You-you're part horse." The centaur puts his his hand on my back and whispers to me, "I know, child. I will explain everything after this is over." He turns back to the rest of the campers. "Welcome, Bellanca Delaney, to Camp Half-blood!" Everyone cheers from the tables. I hear someone ask, "Determined yet, Chiron?"

"Not yet, Mitchell. I assume she will get claimed tonight." Everybody then walks out of the Dining Pavilion and carry on to what they normally do. I expect Chiron and I to be the only people staying behind, but Jake stays, along with Percy and a blonde girl that's holding his hand. "I think we should explain what you want at where we hold our meetings. Follow me." says Chiron, walking to the Big House. I follow him, not far behind.

I hear someone jog towards me, but don't bother turning around to see who it is. He slows down to my pace, walking beside me. I finally check who, seeing that it's Jake. "Hey Bell." he says.

"Hi."

"You seem to be taking all of this really well, considering the fact that you're following a man that's a white stallion for a bottom half."

"No, actually. I'm having a panic attack right now, only shielding it by looking calm. In the inside, I've slapped myself 73 times and am still in shock of how I believe that a centaur I had just met from Greek mythology is saying demigods are real. But, like you said, I'm taking all of this really well, in the outside of course."

Jake looks at me a bit thoughtfully and laughs. "Don't worry, we'll explain everything you need to know once we get at the Ping-Pong table. I promise."

I nod in reply. Wait, did he say Ping-Pong table?

* * *

It's been half an hour, I think, since we finished dinner. We sit around a Ping-Pong table, like Jake said. I don't know what to think about that.

Percy and Annabeth are sitting next to each other, across from Jake and I, who's sitting next to me. Chiron is, apparently, able to transform his horse-half into a wheel chair, and I'd rather not dwell on that. I found out Annabeth, the blonde girl I saw holding Percy's hand, is his girlfriend, like he mentioned when we first met. So far, everyone's been able to explain everything to me, and it actually makes more sense, now that I think about it.

My godly parent _is _a goddess, like how I told the Stolls, since I never met my biological mother and also that my dad isn't alive anymore. Plus, I don't look a thing like my step-mother.

"But Chiron, do you have any idea at all of who my mom might be?" I ask the centaur.

"I do, indeed, have ideas, but we should know for sure by tonight at the campfire," Chiron checks his watch. "Which should be in a few minutes. I suggest you all head over there right now." He steers himself out of the door. The rest of us stand up from our seats, and go outside, too.

"Hey, Bell," I hear Annabeth call from behind me. I stop walking and wait for her to catch up to me. Percy and Jake are walking behind us, forming a conversation for themselves. "Out of curiosity, what were your grades in school before you came here?" asks Annabeth.

I remember Chiron told me Annabeth is a daughter of Athena, so I assume she wants to know something about me knowledge-wise, or whatever.

"Actually, I was a straight-A student in the gifted program before I was put into a foster home." I say.

"Oh," says Annabeth. "I was just wondering, considering you might be an Athena kid, but you don't have any of our traits. You see, we all have blonde hair and gray eyes," I nod in response. My natural hair color is dark brown, but I later highlighted it black, maroon, and light brown. I think it's nice, each color suits another. "You did say you're deathly afraid of spiders, right? I was just thinking you could be a child of Athena."

The guys jog to us from behind, Percy now walking beside Annabeth and Jake beside me.

"You scared about being claimed, Bell?" Jake asks me.

I shrug. "Yeah. Should I be expecting anything?"

"Well," he started. "When you get claimed, there's usually a symbol that hovers over your head. It's usually the symbol of your godly parent, obviously. Unless you're a child of Aphrodite. If you are, I hear you get claimed by getting a complete Greek makeover in an instant in front of the entire camp."

"That sounds horrible!" I exclaim.

Jake gives a slight laugh. "Yeah. Let's just hope your mom isn't Aphrodite then, huh?"

We make it to the bonfire. Annabeth sits down on Percy's left side. I'm about to sit next to the other side of Percy, but Jake beats me to it, so he's the only person I know that I'm next to.

I look at the bonfire, and see a girl in a dark robe, probably 12 years old, who's sitting in front of it, as if she's needed to tend the fire herself. She looks at me and gives me a warm smile, and I return the favor.

Once everybody at camp comes and gets comfy, the sing-along begins. I noticed that the flames of the fire get larger the louder we sing, and that the color changes with our mood, I think. I find out that Jake sings amazingly, but I didn't know what to expect, him being an Apollo kid and all. Some people roast marshmallows on sticks but I burned mine. Jake felt sorry for my failed attempt, so he gave me his perfectly roasted marshmallow instead.

Everybody sings and jokes around and acts like a big, happy family. I see Chiron talking to Mr. D. I look past Jake's shoulder, and see Percy and Annabeth kissing each other with smiles peeking from the corners of their mouths. Their happiness itself makes me smile, too. A bit farther down from me, I watch the Stoll brothers play small tricks on each other and a few people around them, putting marshmallow goo on the back of somebody's shirt, throwing dirt on someone's hair. Like I did when I was talking to Jake at the lake, I take in the rest of the scenery. Everything at Camp Half-blood is beautiful, unlike other many places I've been to. It would be nice, getting used to all of this, not having to run from state to state and away from monsters. Just like how many people have told me, this place could be my home.

I watch the bonfire, slowly calming down, getting smaller and smaller. Everyone had stopped singing, but why? I look around and see people are looking at me as if I'm a ghost. I turn to Jake, who's staring at me the same way. "Why is everyone looking at me like that," I whisper to him. "Did I do something wrong?"

He shakes his head and says, "No, but I have a feeling you're about to get claimed." He points at my arm, which has a red glow to it, along with the rest of my skin. I look up, expecting a symbol, like how Jake explained to me earlier, but there isn't anything. That means . . .

I stand up and force myself to look down at my clothes, which are now replaced with . . . A _dress_! I absolutely hate wearing skirts, let alone a _dress_. It is an elegant, soft purple, sleeveless gown. It goes down to my ankles, and I see that I'm wearing golden flats instead of my sneakers. I notice a slight shimmer in the dress, too. Delicate, gold armbands circle my biceps, and bangles are placed on both my wrists. A necklace of golden flowers and leaves float on my chest, like how they would in Ancient Greece. Instinctively, I reach for my hair, but a girl hands me a compact mirror to see for myself. Instead of my naturally wavy hair, it's curled in a careful manner, gold ribbons mingling with it. I also notice golden, detailed earrings hanging from the lobes of my ears. And, oh gods! I'm wearing makeup, too! My lips look cherry red, my cheeks are a soft pink. My eyes stand out, showing it's various colors and the natural length of my eyelashes, yet it all looks natural, somehow.

This cannot be happening. I've always told my step-mom in the past that I'd never wear a dress or makeup unless I'd be forced against my will. Everybody is still looking at me, making me feel a bit more uncomfortable. I can't stand it. I look so . . . So . . .

"Stunning," Jake exclaims. "Bell, you . . . You look absolutely beautiful."

I'd probably be melting under a compliment like that, especially by Jake, but this is different. I look up at Chiron, in his centaur form. I want to have him tell everyone to stop looking at me. We know who my mother is now, yippee. Can't people dismiss this already?

"Th-this isn't me," I stammer. "I-I . . ." I can't get the words out of my mouth, due to the pure pressure of everyone watching my every move.

"All hail Bellanca Delaney," Chiron says gravelly, as if this is a funeral. He kneels his front legs down and continues, "Daughter of Aphrodite, lady of the doves, goddess of love."

Everyone follows Chiron's example, and bows. While no one is looking, I look up at the night sky and give it my best frustrated expression.

* * *

After my being claimed, everyone goes to their cabins. Well, everyone except Jake and I. I'm still in the dress and makeup, which is infuriating. Jake, on the other hand, walks up to me after everybody is gone, smiling.

"Don't look at me like that," I say to him. He holds his hands up to his shoulders, still smiling.

"This _is _horrible." I tell him.

He moves the comment aside. "Here, I'll show to the Aphrodite cabin." he says, walking to the one of the goddesses cabins. It's too dark to see what it looks like.

I walk beside him, saying, "You don't have to be nice to me, you know. I'm not wearing makeup ever again, either."

"I'm just going to make sure you settle in well, introduce you to the senior counselor. Is it too hard to ask for help?"

I cross my arms, and the cabin comes to view. The walls are soft pink, and the rooftop is painted, too. I can see pastel blue and green curtains coming from the inside. Flowers are at each window sill, which is creamy white. The door is open for us, emitting bright lights. Jake and I walk to the doorway, and I smell a heavy amount of perfume. I quickly duck my head back outside, gulping fresh air, and walk in. Jake comes with me, putting his hand on my back, protectively I think. There are lots of giggling, but we both ignore it. The bunks are the same color of the curtains, chests next to each one. The chests seem to have the owner's name on it, decorated a bit different than another. Each bunk space seems to have been personalized, with posters of celebrities and personal pictures and such.

Jake steers me deeper in the cabin, towards a girl who seems to be my age, and I assume is the senior counselor. I think she's pretty, with chocolate brown, choppy hair. Her eyes seem to morph into different colors, refusing to stay the same for long. Unlike the other girls here, she seems to be trying not to get noticed, wearing casual clothes and all. She walks up to me and says, "Hey, I'm Piper, senior counselor of Cabin Ten," She turns to Jake, as if noticing him here for the first time. His hand is still on my back, but he quickly takes it away once she sees him. "Jake, you can go now."

"Oh . . . Yeah, right." He leans towards me a bit, as if he's about to hug me, but thinks better of it and leaves the cabin without another word. Somebody shuts the door behind him, and the giggling gets louder.

"So," Piper says, showing me a vacant bunk next to a window. "Bell, right? This is your bunk right here, and here's your trunk, where you can put your stuff inside. Somebody dropped off more Camp Half-blood t-shirts, pants, shorts, and capris for you. Don't worry, I made sure the Hermes kids didn't do anything to it. There are also tons of pajamas for you, too. Oh, and the clothes you came here with are on your bed, too, including the outfit you wore before you got claimed. I'm glad they give back our clothes, now, after the whole makeover thing." After she finishes explaining, Piper walks to her bunk and begins reading a book.

I turn around, facing my new bed, and empty the pockets of the capris that I was wearing today. I put everything inside my trunk neatly, grab my pajamas, and turn around, only to see a swarm of my half-siblings surrounding me. They're all mumbling and giggling, and someone has the nerve to ask, "So, what's going on between you and the Apollo kid, Jake?"

I try to see who asked me that, but nobody gives a sign that they did. "Jake and I are just friends." I tell the small crowd.

"No, there's _definitely _something going on between you two," a different voice exclaims. "You didn't see the way he was looking at you? It was so sweet!"

"Yeah," a girl says back. "Are you going to have your rite of passage on him?"

"Rite of passage? What's a rite of passage?" I ask.

"The rite of passage for an Aphrodite child," someone explains. "You get someone to fall in love with you, then you break their heart. Dump them. Once you do that, you're proven worthy of Aphrodite.

I look around the crowd to see if they're joking. "Why would I do that," I exclaim. "You know what, never mind. Just let me through so I can change," Everybody made a clear path for me to the bathroom. I see Piper looks up from her book, but keeps quiet. "I need to wash all of this makeup off, too." The path to the bathroom is still clear, but somebody says, "You can't do that. It's a blessing from Aphrodite, which will last probably a few days. A week or two if you're lucky."

"You're kidding." I say. I walk to the bathroom door but Piper blocks me, blocking me from the door.

"How did you do that?" she whispers to me.

"Do what?"

"They never stop talking about stuff like that, let alone make a _clear path_ to the bathroom."

"I don't know . . . I just told them to let me change, and they moved out of the way."

"Have you been able to get what you want in the past?" Piper asks me, out of subject, I believe.

I think a bit, then say, "Yes, actually. I'd just ask in a certain way and got it, I guess."

"Hmm . . . Okay," Piper sidesteps, letting me get to the door. "I'll talk to you tomorrow. You should hurry, it's getting late."

I walk in the bathroom and change into my pajamas. I know somebody said that I can't take off the makeup, but I try. It doesn't even smudge or fade a bit. I tangle my hair in tons of knots, but it untangles itself. I huff in frustration, and walk out of the bathroom and to my bunk.

"Alright everybody," Piper calls once everyone is ready for bed. "Lights out." Someone shuts the lights off, and I lie down, staring out the window. I watch the dark, starry night, not thinking about anything in particular.

Out of no where, I see something crawl on the window sill. I see another bug follow it, both trying to go outside, the glass of the window in their way. I watch them amusingly, then notice something else next to the bugs appear, then another, and another, and another. I scrunch my eyebrows and squint, and notice there are eight legs instead of four or six. They crawl in a creepy way, and I slowly back out of my bed. I watch more appear and I fall on the floor, shrieking. The lights turn on, and a few of the boys in the cabin walk over to me, checking if I'm hurt. I notice a small girl trying to see what I'm looking at, then she screams, and so do the rest of our half-sisters.

Everybody swarms out of the cabin, screaming. I pick myself up from the floor and run out with them, barefoot. Piper is the last person to exit, but she doesn't stop in front of our cabin. Instead she marches straight ahead, to Cabin Eleven. Everybody stays behind, except me. I run after her until I meet her pace, and ask, "Do you think it was the Stolls?"

She nods. "I _know _it was the Stolls. They've been doing all kinds of pranks on us, stink bombs last month, grasshoppers two months ago." I scrunch my nose. We make it in front of the Hermes cabin, and Piper bangs the door with her fist. Impatient, she tries to twist the knob, then says, "It's locked."

I think for a moment, then tell her "Wait, move out of the way real quick." She steps aside, and I kick the door. It swings open on my third kick, and we barge in. Someone turns the lights on and Piper and I immediately get soaked in something that smells like raw fish and cow manure. The entire cabin burst into laughter. We survey the cabin, and find the Stolls in the very back. Both of us march over to them, and someone tries to trip me, but I kick his shin and glance back to see him wince in pain.

We make it to the end of the cabin, but I'm not sure which one is Travis and which is Connor, so I just march up to one Stoll as Piper faces the other. I cross my arms and look up, giving him a death glare.

"Stolls," Piper says, her soaked hands twisted with one of the brother's shirt. "I swear to the gods-"

"Hey Connor," the one standing in front of me, Travis, says. "I think these girls need a bath." Before I can react, Travis lifts me up by the legs and carries me, my stomach resting on his shoulder so I can see what's behind him. Connor grabs Piper behind her from the waist, her arms locked to her sides, and lifts her high enough so her feet can't touch the ground. They're both too strong for us. I pound Travis on the back, screaming while Piper yells at Connor. I see that the other cabins' lights turn on, one by one, as the campers file out to see what's happening.

I keep punching Travis's back, and I realize that they're heading towards the lake.

Piper flails around in Connor's arms, then shouts, "Charmspeak! Charmspeak! Stolls, put us down right now!" I hear Connor shout, "Sorry, Pipes! We made sure we put earplugs in so your evil commands won't get to our brains! We can only hear you faintly!" Piper screams in frustration.

I look at the ground and see that we're no longer on the grass, but sand instead. I look up and see Chiron galloping towards us, Jake following him from behind. "Stolls," Chiron shouts. "Put the girls down." But it's too late.

I feel myself go weightless, Piper in the air with me, not too far behind. I hear her screaming, but I remember to take a gulp of air before plummeting in the water. I open my eyes and see girls appear out of no where and help me swim up. I look around and see Piper is up, too. We start swimming back to the shore, still in our pajamas. The Stolls threw us pretty far into the lake. I keep my eyes on land, and see a silhouette of someone dive into the lake, swimming towards us. Halfway to the shore, and the silhouette meets Piper and I, still in the water. It turns out it was Jake who dove in. "Are you guys okay?" he asks us. We both nod, and Jake helps us out of the water.

Piper is met at shore by some blonde guy, who hugs her. I sit on the sand, having a coughing fit. Jake sits down next to me, both of us soaking wet. Once I calm down, I say to him, "Thanks, Jake."

He smiles at me. "So, how was your first day at Camp Half-blood?" he asks casually.

I shrug. "Could've been better."

He laughs and hugs me tightly, and I hug him back.


	3. Chapter 3

**Jake's POV**

After I made sure Bell is well rested in her cabin, for sure this time, I lay down in my bunk, thinking over what happened tonight.

A girl I had hardly met a day ago is claimed, but not by Demeter or any other goddess, no. Instead, she gets claimed by the goddess of _love_! I mean yeah, Bell is already gorgeous, but once she got claimed, I accidentally made sure she knew about it. Yet she was oblivious that I've already fallen for her. Plus, she didn't seem happy about being claimed, and she even told me. Bell stated that she hated looking "girly" like that, and mentioned something about staying like that for two weeks, at most. Plus, she didn't look like herself while being claimed.

I think of how I heard high pitched shrieks in the middle of the night. I remember seeing Chiron come out of the Big House, weapon-ready, only to find that the Hermes cabin played _another_ prank. He galloped towards the sound, and I ran after him, curious. I saw Bell being carried by one of the Stolls towards the lake, pounding on his back and flailing around to break free. Instinctively, I ran to her as she was dumped far into the lake. Before I dove in, I made sure to shove both of the Stolls in the sand.

The entire camp woke up at the Stolls shenanigans, but everyone soon went back to sleep after Chiron assured them that everything was fine. Bell and I had to dry ourselves after Travis dumped her in the lake. Jason, Piper's boyfriend, offered to help get her cleaned up, giving me some more alone time with Bell. Even if she was soaking wet, Bell still looked beautiful, thanks to that blessing. We had decided to let ourselves get dry naturally, so it took about an hour or so. On the bright side, I arranged a few private sword fighting classes, archery lessons, and mostly other excuses for us to hang out some more. Although, I don't think she noticed what my intentions really were.

To be honest to myself, I really hope she likes me, but there _are_ other guys at camp who she could notice, and not me . . .

I slowly fall asleep, reminding myself that our first sword fighting class is in the morning, right after breakfast.

* * *

I wake up with the sun shining bright, as always. The entire cabin starts our Friday by rushing around, throwing trash away and such. I grab my clothes for today and rush to get dressed, not wanting to be late for breakfast.

All of my half siblings and I come out of our cabin, heading to the Dining Pavilion. After we give our offerings to Apollo, I sit down and skim the area for Bell. Only to make sure she hasn't been pranked again, of course. I easily spot her through the crowd, but her back is facing me. I see she's sitting next to Piper and getting along with her half-siblings well.

"She's out of your league, man." someone says to me, I look around our table, and notice it was Will, our senior counselor, who said that. Luckily, the Aphrodite table is four tables away from us, so they can't hear what we're saying.

"What are you talking about?" I ask him.

"C'mon, the entire cabin knows you like Bell."

I feel myself turn red. "Only as a friend."

The whole table erupts in laughter, and I realize everyone is listening to our conversation.

"Dude, you're sixteen," one of my half-brothers, Austin, says. "Ask her out already." Everybody at the table nods in agreement. I roll my eyes. "Can all of you promise me that you won't meddle?" Nobody responds.

"Please?"

They all look at each other, and Will finally says, "Fine, we won't meddle. The Aphrodite cabin can handle you two." Everybody smirks, and I can tell they won't keep up with their promise, but I don't say anything.

After breakfast, I wait at the sword fighting arena. While I wait for Bell, I look for a sword that might be good for her, but I can't be sure unless she's here with me.

After surveying each sword, I turn around and see her. She's wearing regular camp clothes, her hair in a ponytail, obviously trying hard to not be noticed, but she still looks quite flawless. "Ready for that sword fighting lesson?" I ask her. She smiles and nods.

* * *

"You're a natural," I tell Bell. It's been probably thirty minutes since we started practice, and I'm sweating, but there hasn't been a single drop on Bell. I do a maneuver to disarm her, and it works, her sword clattering on the ground.

She gives me a frustrated look, and I hear giggling in the distance. I look past Bell's shoulder, and see some Aphrodite girls. Bell turns around, seeing them. "Seriously?" she yells at them. They walk away, muttering to each other and glance back at us every other second.

Bell rolls her eyes. "They keep mentioning something about 'shipping' us two, whatever that means. I'm pretty sure they might explain it to me tonight . . ."

I smirk at her, she seems so irritated about her siblings. "C'mon, let's go to the lake." I tell her.

We sit on the sand, quiet for a moment. In order to break the silence, I say, "You know, you never told us _why_ you were on the run." She hugs her knees to her chest and sighs, staring at the water.

"I honestly don't know why monsters kept attacking me. Didn't Chiron say something about probably being able to live a safe life if you're not a child of the Big Three? My mom is only _Aphrodite_, there's nothing big about that."

"I dunno, Bell." I'm only partially lying. Either someone wants something to do with her mother, or it's Bell herself, who might have abilities even she doesn't know about. I know something like that has happened to other demigods. "I don't think it's about who your godly parent is what the monsters want. Plus, we both know that's not what I meant of why-"

"Guys!" someone yells at us from behind. I turn around and see Nico di Angelo, stumbling over his feet to get to us. Bell turns around and asks me, "Who's he?"

"Nico di Angelo. He's a son of Hades," I turn back to Nico, who is now leaning in between Bell and I. "What do you want Nico?"

He pants for a while, catching his breath, and says, "Chiron. He wanted me to get you two-said it was urgent." Bell and I glance at each other, and stand up. Nico stands up, too, but leans on me for support. He must've ran a long way to get to us.

"You want us to walk with you?" I ask Nico. He shakes his head. "No, it's really important, you two better run. I'll meet you guys there." I nod and turn to Bell. "Come on." I tell her, and we sprint to the Big House.

We run to the patio, both of us breathing hard. Chiron is standing in front of the door, in his wheelchair form, and motions for us to go inside. Bell and I sit next to each other on the couch as Chiron rolls himself in front of us.

"I assume you're wondering why I asked Nico to have you come here." We nod. "It's quite an emergency. Both of you should get comfy because you might have quite a few questions when I am done explaining."

* * *

"Wait, you never said what happened to the satyr." I tell Chiron. Nico is sitting in another chair, he's been silent the entire time.

He sighs and says, "He died, but how, I do not know. I assume he tried to escape the Sea of Monsters with the demigods, but Polyphemus could've eaten him. Fortunately, the three half-bloods have been Iris-messaging me and telling me what has been happening."

I think for a moment, and recall everything Chiron told us out loud. "So, a satyr sensed three 'strong' half-bloods, who happened to be in the Sea of Monsters. How, exactly, do you think they got to the Bermuda Triangle, anyways? Plus, the satyr is most likely dead by now, but the demigods are still alive . . . And you want _us_ to get them?"

Chiron looks at Bell and me for a moment, then nods. "Yes. I know it seems odd, Jake, but the satyr specifically said only children of Aphrodite, Apollo, and Athena can get them. But why those three, exactly, I do not know. I can assure you that we're able to trust the satyr, he was always loyal to us."

"But why _us_," Bell asks. "Can't you get somebody with actual experience to go on this quest? I heard Percy and Annebeth have been to the Sea of Monsters before. And why can't you choose any other of my siblings?"

Chiron clasps his fingers together on his lap and looks at Bell hopefully. "Bellanca," he says. "Just because you are not a child of the Big Three does not mean you are a weak demigod. There is a reason why those monsters attacked _you_ instead of leaving you alone, like most children of Aphrodite. You are a special half-blood, a strong one, and you are fit to be the leader of this quest. I know it. You will get the three demigods in the Sea of Monsters and return succesfully. I cannot send satyr to do it himself, it is too risky."

Chiron keeps looking at her in that determined way, and so do I. Nico is staring at his hands.

"Fine, I guess I'll lead the quest," she says. I feel my shoulders slump down, I didn't realize I was so on edge. "But all you're doing is overestimating me."

"Okay, Chiron," I say. "When are we going?"

Bell stares at me and says, "You don't have to go if you don't want to, Jake. It's not like I'm forci-"

"No," I interrupt. "I'm coming. I've gone on quests before, and you need all the help you can get."

She purses her lips and stays silent. We look at Chiron, who has a small grin, and says, "We need you to start the quest ASAP. You cannot choose Annabeth for the child of Athena, she just came back from another quest and needs to rest. Do not tell anyone else in camp about this, they shouldn't have more weight on their shoulders after everything that's happened."

I nod. "Okay." replies Bell. We stand up and are about to leave the room until Chiron says, "Oh, Jake? Introduce Bell to the Oracle after you know who else is going on the quest." I nod at him and walk Bell out the door, Nico staying inside with Chiron.

She walks to the volleyball court and sits on a bench. I follow and sit next to her. She stares at the ground and puts her elbows on her knees. "Weird, isn't it," she tells me, still looking at the ground. "It's only my second day, and I've already been issued a quest." She lifts her head and looks at me. "I haven't even been _trained_ for anything, Jake! I don't even know who the child of Athena is going to be."

I place my hand on her back. "It's okay, Bell. We'll train hard today. After all, I _am_ a son of Apollo." I tell her, smirking.

She rolls her eyes. "Fine," Bell tells me. "But first we have to get the last person for the quest."

* * *

**Bell's POV**

Jake and I are looking for an Athena kid, he said his name is Malcolm, second-in-command of the Athena cabin. We're heading to the Arts and Crafts place, but I haven't been there yet. We walk inside, but there are only three campers inside, not including Jake and I.

"There he is," Jake tells me, walking up to a blonde guy that's probably the same age as us. "Malcolm," he says. He turns around, facing us. "Bell and I need to talk to you."

"Sure." says Malcolm. He carefully puts down whatever he was working with and stands up.

The three of us silently walk to the Dining Pavilion, and we all sit down at a table, Jake and I next to each other, Malcolm facing us.

"What is it?" Malcolm asks.

Jake clasps his fingers together and says, "We were wondering if you can go on a quest with the both of us. It's a secret quest, though. So far only us three, Chiron, and Nico di Angelo know about it." Malcolm looks at Jake and I back and forth, his expression a bit shocked.

"What's the quest for?" he asks us. Jake and I exchange a glance, and I finally say, "We have to get three half-bloods."

"Easy, where are we going?"

I sigh. "The Sea of Monsters."

Malcolm's eyes go wide and he slams both of his hands on the table, but is still sitting down. "What?! That's basically a suicide quest!"

"So you're not coming?" asks Jake.

"Of course I'm coming," Malcolm replies. "It's just . . . Please explain more." We do so, probably taking about fifteen minutes. The sun is about to set.

"It just, it seems really . . . Weird. Unreasonable."

"See," I ask. "That's why we need you on this quest. Malcolm, you can really help us. And if you think Annabeth should come instead of you, it won't work like that. Chiron said her, specifically, can't come. He said she needs to rest after everything that's been happening." _Or whatever that means_, I mentally add to myself.

He nods. "I understand why. So, let's get to Rachel and see what the prophecy will be." He stands up, and so does Jake and I.

"Who's Rachel?" I ask.

"She's our Oracle."

"What?"

"Just follow us."

I follow Jake as he leads Malcolm and I to . . . A cave. A cave? Jake peers inside, and takes his head out as a redheaded girl walks out. She smiles at me. "Rachel," Jake says. "This is Bell, daughter of Aphrodite. Bell, this is Rachel, she's our Oracle."

"Hey." Rachel says to me, shaking my hand. She turns to Jake and Malcolm and waits for them to say something.

"We need a prophecy," Jake tells her. "It's supposed to be a secret type of quest, though. Chiron issued it.

"Okay," replies Rachel. "But I can't just force out a prophecy whenever I-"

Rachel stops speaking suddenly. She closes her eyes and swoons, but Malcolm and Jake catch her. Malcolm carefully lets go of Rachel and runs inside the cave, coming out with a stool. The two guys carefully help her sit down. The sun is right below the horizon, so everything seems dimmer. Green mist begins to swirl around Rachel's feet, and she opens her eyes which are now glowing. Bright green smoke emits from her mouth. She begins to speak again, but in a raspy voice, which sounds rather ancient, unlike what her voice sounded like just a minute ago. It's almost like a reptile, if they can actually speak. She says:

_Three half-bloods shall go south to the demigods in danger, _

_A child of poetry, the dove, and wisdom, none stranger._

_One shall be lost whilst down afloat,_

_Another's lucidity will slightly demote._

_An essence of fear shall lead the trail,_

_Resulting in others trapped in a dead jail. _

_Abandon or prevail, two shall be gone,_

_One in combat, another: fleece will bear down upon._

_Return home safely with internal scars at most,_

_Though they will never heal, the power of love will engross._

Rachel collapsed at the last word, but Malcolm caught her just in time. Jake came in and helped set her down on the floor, next to the cave. I stare into space, thinking of what that could mean. "That was a long one." Malcolm says, interrupting the silence.

Jake nods. "Not much time to think about it now. We're about to have dinner." I look at where the Dining Pavilion is, and Jake's right. Everybody is walking to the building.

"Let's go then." I say, standing in front of everyone. We all look at Rachel, who says, "Go eat without me. I'll be here."

Reluctantly, the three of us walk to the Dininng Pavilion.

"I don't know guys," Malcolm says to us. "This quest sounds really dangerous compared to others."

"I know," Jake replies. "But isn't it worth it? We need to save _three_ demigods, and they're in one of the most dangerous places, especially for half-bloods. We need to do this."

I nod in agreement. We all walk our seperate ways to our tables. I sit next to Piper, give an offering to Aphrodite, and begin eating.

"So, Bell," says Piper. I look at her. "Remember last night, before we got dumped in the lake, when I told you I'd talk to you?" I nod, waiting for her to continue. "Well, now is sorta the time. I wanted to talk to you about this thing that Aphrodite kids are able to do. It's called Charmspeak."

"Charmspeak?" I ask her. She nods.

"Like how you said you were able to persuade people to get things. You were probably Charmspeaking. Like . . . Hey Leo!" she says, calling over a boy from the Hephaestus table. He walks over and stands next to us.

"Sup, Piper? Wanna finally introduce me to one of your pretty half-siblings?" he asks. Piper rolls her eyes.

"Give me a mint from your tool belt." she tells him. He immediately puts his hand inside the tool belt she mentioned and pulls out a mint in a wrapper. "See," Piper tells me. "I just Charmspoke Leo to give me a mint, and he did so."

"So it's sort of like commanding people to do stuff?" I ask

She nods, and says, "Technically, yes. I wouldn't let the power get to you, though. I think it's pretty mean, having people do stuff against their will, hardly even knowing it."

"But anyone can ask for a mint, right?"

Piper sighs and turns around, facing the Hermes table. "Travis," she calls. One of the Stolls turns around and faces us. "You should go tell Katie Gardner of how pretty she is." Travis nods and stands up, walking to the Demeter table. He tells her something, and she blushes, then he walks back to his table and continues eating like nothing ever happened.

I stare at Piper with my mouth agape. "See," she says again. "Charmspeak."

"But didn't you just say it's mean having people do stuff, barely even knowing it?"

She shrugs. "The entire camp knows Katie and Travis like each other. I just helped Travis get the guts to talk to her." I shrug, that's pretty nice, I guess.

"Everybody," Chiron calls from the front. We all look up. "Today is Friday. You all know what that means." All of the tables cheer.

"What's he talking about?" I ask Piper.

"We play Capture the Flag every Friday, but they decided to do it _after_ we finish eating."

"Oh." I say, still confused.

"In the blue team: Poseidon, Athena, Apollo, Hades, Hermes, Hypnos, Hebe, and Hecate, " Chiron continues. "And in the red team: Zeus, Dionysus, Demeter, Aphrodite, Ares, Hephaestus, Nemesis, Iris, Nike, and Tyche." My table groans, and everyone stands up. Our food disappears and gets replaced by armor, weapons, and helmets with red stuff on the top.

"Here," Piper says, handing me a breastplate and helmet. "These should fit." I put them on, and it does.

I look at our table, and it seems like everyone is just gossiping and not putting any armor on. "Why aren't they so excited like everyone else?" I ask Piper.

She shrugs. "They're not much fighters, afraid they could break a nail or ruin their hair." We both snicker. I make sure to grab a sword and a bow and arrows, since our cabin won't be doing much. I decide against the shield, that thing weighs a ton.

I see Annabeth run in the pavilion with a large, silky banner, glistening gray with a painting of a barn owl and an olive tree. The red team cheers. A girl from the Ares cabin, I assume, runs to the other side of the pavilion with a red banner, painted with a boar's head and a bloody spear. The blue team cheers.

Chiron stomps his hoof on the floor. "Heroes! You know the rules. The creek is the boundary line. The entire forest is fair game. All magic items are allowed. The flags must be prominently displayed and can have no more than two guards. Prisoners may be disarmed, but may not be bound or gagged. Killing or maiming is not allowed. Guards are not allowed to stand within ten yards of the flag. I will serve as referee and battlefield medic." explains the centaur.

The girl holding the red banner shouts, "Red team, forward!" We cheer and follow her to the north side of the woods. Lots of people keep taunting the blue team as they headed south.

I walk beside Piper. "So what do we have to do?" I ask.

"Easy, you capture the other team's flag from the other side of the creek, bring it to our territory, and we win. Clarisse, the one holding the banner over there," Piper points to the girl who shouted earlier. "She said that you should be on border patrol. You have to stand by the creek and keep the blues away. I'm on defense, so I'll be a bit far from you."

"Why do I get border patrol?" I ask.

Piper shrugs. "I think she wanted to see how tough you are. You better prove you're not so fragile, or else she can snap you like a twig."

"That's nice."

I walk to the creek, hiding behind a tree and hope the darkness conceals me. It's not like anyone's actually going to _attack_ me, we're all family here, right? I hear a conch horn blow in the distance. Whoops and yells come from all around me, metal clanging against each other, which means one thing: the fight has begun.

I see someone from the other team, probably an Apollo kid, hop over the creek. I silently run behind the trees so he won't see me, and once he is about to pass my tree, I elbow him in the chest. I only made him trip backwards a little, shocking him. His eyes adjust on me and he holds out his sword, and so do I.

He's the first to make a move, and we battle. He swings, too fast for me to hold my blade up, making a nice gash on my arm. Our swords clang together, and he knocks off my helmet which splashes into the water. I try that disarming maneuver Jake did on me. It works. I kick his sword into the water, and the Apollo kid's eyes are wide with shock. A group from my team runs into the blue team's territory. The Apollo kid tries to run past me, but I tackle him just in time. We slam into the dirt, and I get up, holding my sword at his throat, even if it might not be allowed. "You should head the other way." I tell him, holding my sword back. He nods and quickly gets up, running back to his team's territory.

I decide to climb a tall tree to put my bow and arrows into use. A group of kids from my team jump over the creek and into enemy territory. I'm glad I don't have to intentionally look for a fight.

I look past the blue team's territory, watching for any signs of someone coming. Luckily, I'm very perceptive.

There's movement not too far from a few trees in the enemy team's area. I squint my eyes, and see the Apollo kid is back, but he's not alone. A rather large group is cautiously following him. I ready my bow and aim, the leaves of the tree concealing me. The group is at the edge of the water, but they look around before hopping over. I shoot, hitting somebody right below their shoulder. I grab another arrow and shoot again, this time getting a different person in the leg. Thankfully, the arrows didn't go deep, just as I expected. I notice someone scanning the trees, and I duck my head, hoping they won't see me. "There she is!" someone yells. I hear them run right up to my tree. I ready my bow again and look down, even if do I have acrophobia.

I see two people climb up the tree while three others stay down. "I'll get the flag!" somebody says, and runs deeper into our territory.

The kids are getting closer. What happens next is totally insane, even if I weren't so high up. I take deep breaths, and jump, bending my knees. I feel some pain in my ankle, but I know it isn't broken, so I dismiss it. I take out my sword and hold it up to the two people on the ground. The other two jump down from the tree, making me highly outnumbered. I don't recognize any of them, either.

They all form a circle around me, and I know I can't win this fight. I take a quick glance into my team's territory, but it doesn't seem like anyone is coming for help. They all have swords and shields, and I am officially regretting my choice of not getting one. _Come on, Mom_, I think. _Just a little help this time?_

Somebody raises her sword, about to swing, but something clicks in my head. Charmspeak! "Stop," I shout. The girl lowers her arm. "Put down your weapons." They do as I say. _Sweet. _"Go back to your territory and do not cross the creek for the rest of the game." They swade through the water and into their territory, but their eyes are glazed. I kick all of their weapons into the creek once they get out.

"I got the flag!" Someone shouts from behind me. I turn around and see it was the kid who left his little group. "Guys! I got their flag . . ." His voice wanes down, and he stares at me with fear rather than shock this time. This should be easy.

"Give me that flag," I command. He slowly holds his arm out. I grab the flag from him, just in time to see a large group from my team running towards us. One of them is Clarisse.

"How did you-" she begins.

"We still have our flag, so you don't need to worry. Here." I hand it to her, and she snatches it from my hand and tosses it to someone else, who runs deeper into our territory to put the flag back in place.

"You," Clarisse says, pointing at me. "Why don't you try to retrieve their flag yourself, since you're so clever by getting ours back."

"But you put me on border-"

"Now!" she barks.

Reluctantly, I hop over the creek and run deeper into enemy territory. They don't have that many people around. And by thinking like _that_, is how jinx myself. An arrow whizzes past my foot out of no where, but I keep running. Those must be the Apollo kids. Isn't the Hermes cabin in the blue team, too? _Shoot. _

I step on something, which catches my foot and hangs me upside down. I swing myself around, still clutching my sword, and see the flag isn't too far away. I know this'll hurt, but I cut the rope with my sword. I land hard on the ground and on my back, getting the wind knocked out of me. My vision goes blurry, and I gasp for air.

It takes a while, but I get up and stagger a bit. Once I'm no longer dizzy, I sneak around and quietly head to the flag. It's placed on the top of a small hill. A few paces away, somebody jumps out of the trees and blocks my path to victory. His helmet is covering most of his face, so I don't know who it is. I hold up my sword ready to fight, and slowly progress towards whoever it is.

People from his team begin to run up to help him, but he announces, "No, she's mine." I decide not to Charmspeak my way out of this. I mean, yeah, it's pretty cool, but it doesn't feel the same than actually fighting for something.

My opponent holds up his sword, but keeps a shield strapped to his left arm. I decide to make the first move, getting up close and turning my back right in front of him before he can react, thrusting the hilt of my sword into his chest. He staggers backwards and raises his eyebrows, impressed. He regains his balance and swings his sword, but I parry the movement. We tether, and I slide my sword down and do the disarming maneuver, my opponent's weapon sliding on the dirt and out of reach to pick it up. I give him a slight cut on the arm. He holds his shield up in defense, but I throw my own sword down without him really noticing, being behind his shield and all.

I make my way to get beside him and kick his forearm, the one strapped to the shield. I get closer, facing him a bit, both of us are only a few inches away from each other. He moans and is about to grab me from behind with his other arm, but I lift my right foot again, behind his left shoulder, and bring it down, flipping him over my steady body. He rolls downhill, but nobody comes up to attack me, only staring in shock. I watch as his helmet slides off, and spiky, dirty blond hair appears. Thank the gods I took tae kwon do for three years.

Now's my chance to retrieve the flag, so I grab it and sprint to the north side of the woods. I wince at every other step, since I did something to it while jumping off that tree earlier. Everybody in the blue team chases after me, some right at my heel, but I push myself faster and faster. Arrows whiz past me, and I see the creek not too far. Clarisse is standing on the other side, right where I left her. Coward.

I hear my heartbeat pounding in my ears, and my lungs begin to ache, but I keep running. I'm almost there. I take a leap over the creek, but get stopped by . . . The water? It holds me, right before the red team's territory, and slowly forces me into the blue team's area. I struggle, but knowing I probably can't break free, I throw the banner back, hoping it makes it to Clarisse.

I hear a horn blow in the distance, and the red team cheers. Already standing, I look around to try and see who made the water get me. Percy is crossing his arms and looks a bit mad, not too far away from me. I glance back at Clarisse, who is being carried by peoples' shoulders, the rest of the team surrounding her. I walk to Percy, aggravated.

"Why couldn't you just-" I start, raising my voice, but he interrupts me.

"I did what was for my team, Bell. If you had the chance, I'm sure you'd do what I did, too."

Annabeth walks up to us and says, "Since when did you get smart enough to say something like that, Seaweed Brain?"

I turn around and begin walking back to the red team's territory in frustration, but a hand places itself on my shoulder, making me turn back around.

I'm looking into Jake's midnight blue eyes when he says, "You did good there, Bell." I'm about to reply, but I notice a cut on his arm. It's weird because that's the exact same place I cut that guy while fighting for the flag . . .

"You, Jake?" I ask. "You were the one who decided to fight me?"

He nods. "Yeah, everyone is really surprised for what you're capable of, especially for a child of Aphrodite." I roll my eyes.

Chiron appears at the side of the creek. "Congratulations to the red team," he says. "Now, campers get cleaned up and off to bed." With that, everyone walks back to the cabins.

* * *

When everyone is done getting cleaned up in Cabin Ten, Piper walks up to me. I already got my cuts and ankle fixed, thankfully. "Hey Bell," Piper says. "I wasn't there or anything, but a bunch of people say you won a fight with an Apollo kid." The rest of the cabin hears our conversation, and watches my reaction. "Is it true?" somebody, Lacey, one of my half-sisters, asks.

I nod. "But it's nothing much, really." I say.

"Nothing much," someone else, Mitchell, repeats. "Bell, making an _Apollo_ kid tumble downhill isn't _nothing much_." Everyone nods in agreement.

"That's enough guys," Piper interrupts. "Come on, it's late. Lights out." Some people moan a bit, but they listen.

I lie down in the bunk bed, knowing there won't be any pranks tonight. I close my eyes and slowly drift to sleep. After all, I've got a quest to start tomorrow.


	4. Chapter 4

"Bell, you have to wake up," someone says, shaking me up from my sleep. "It's almost breakfast!"

I keep my eyes closed and murmur, "Five more minutes."

"Someone get the ice-cold water!" the voice yells.

I immediately sit straight up, my eyes wide. There is no way I'm getting water dumped on my face like the last girl. "I'm up! I'm up!" I say.

I recognize Mitchell as the one who woke me, who walks away while smirking. I stand up and fix my small part of the bunk. I make sure to bring some spare clothes and the picture and letter my dad left for me, putting them in a backpack. I also put a hair clip in my other pocket, which I play around with whenever I'm bored, thanks to my ADHD. Nobody really notices it, which is good. After I finish everything, we all walk to the Dining Pavilion.

I keep shaking while we head there, but I tell myself to knock it off. I'm just really nervous for the quest. I've hardly trained! I remember last night, while Jake walked me to my cabin, he said that it didn't seem like I needed as much practice as I think.I didn't believe him, and I still don't, but it's nice how he has more faith in me than what's really needed.

"Why do you look so nervous?" Piper asks, walking up to me. I try to keep calm.

"It's just this stupid blessing of Aphrodite, it won't wear off already!" I lie.

She laughs. "You must be one of the 'lucky' ones, then." I sigh.

We give our offerings to the gods and sit down to eat. I have sunny side-up eggs with bacon and sausage, and I notice that Piper is eating a . . . Tofu burger? I shrug it off, and try to clear my mind.

I am absolutely horribly at trying to clear my mind.

I've got a quest to go to one of the most dangerous places for a half-blood, and I've hardly even trained for it. The three of us don't even really know what the prophecy Rachel gave us even means, and Malcolm said it was pretty long. I have a stupid song stuck in my head which has been driving me nuts, and it isn't helping with how we're gonna go South. Are we going to drive, go on an airplane, or sail there with a boat? I don't know, and I don't mind any of those choices, but it's all so confusing. Well, I basically make everything confusing for myself when I dwell on things like this, but that's beside the point. We also need to save three other demigods from the Sea of Monsters, which is the main point of our quest, and bring them all to Camp Half-blood safely and in one piece. Plus, I can hardly let _anyone_ know about any of this.

I continue eating and feel a pair of eyes watching me from behind. I turn my head around, and my eyes meet Jake's. He smiles as if saying, "_Everything will be alright_," and I smile back. I turn back around, facing the table, and finish eating.

The campers carry on with what they usually do after we all finish eating, but Malcolm, Jake, and I stay behind, and so does Chiron. I also notice that Nico di Angelo is back.

The three of us walk up to Chiron the centaur and Nico. "We should go to the Big House." Chiron says to us, trotting away as we follow.

"Hey, Bell?" I hear someone, Nico, ask as he walks beside me. I turn my head to look at him as he continues. "I just wanted to let you know that you're in good hands. Jake and Malcolm are great, especially for this quest."

"Thanks, Nico." I reply. I really do mean to thank him, he seems really helpful. I think I'm about two years older than Nico, which makes me feel a bit like an older sister towards him, even if I hardly know him. Although, it feels like I do know him, in a way.

Jake jogs in front of us and walks backwards to face Nico and I. He tilts his head a bit, as if studying the two of us then says, "You guys sort of look alike." Nico and I instinctively turn our heads to survey each other, and I see it a bit. I shrug, but Nico's eyes widens, only for a fraction of a second, covering it calm. I pretend not to notice.

We make it to the Big House, and Malcolm and I sit on the couch while Jake and Nico stay standing.

Chiron is in front of us in his wheelcair. "I just wanted to wish the three of you good luck," he tells us. "But first, can you tell me the prophecy Rachel said?"

"Oh, I already have it memorized," Malcolm says. Dang, I only remember a few of the big words, which I still don't completely understand. Malcolm recites the prophecy to Chiron, all of our expressions tense.

The room stays silent for a few minutes as Chiron strokes his beard, thinking. "Quite confusing, but . . ." he says.

"But what?" Jake asks.

"If my suspicions are correct, the three of you will make it to the Sea of Monsters, but . . . No, I shouldn't say. The gods may get mad at me if I tell you."

"Please, Chiron?" asks Malcolm. "The more information, or assumptions at least, the better."

We hear loud thunder in the distance. "No, I am sorry, but I cannot." Chiron says. The two boys huff while Nico stays silent. I stay seated on the couch and do nothing for the moment.

"Wait a minute, Chiron," I say. He raises his eyebrows. "What will our half-siblings think when we're gone for the quest?"

"You do not need to worry about that, Bellanca," replies Chiron. I see Nico flinch at my name, but why I don't know. "What you must think about is your quest. I will have Argus drive you out of Manhattan, and you three must continue on your own over there."

"Okay." Jake says. By the tone of his voice, I can tell that we need to be leaving already, so Malcolm and I stand up from the couch.

All five of us head out of the Big House. It seems a bit grim, for some reason.

"Oh, one more thing before I forget." Chiron says. He wheels himself back into the Big House. The four of us wait in silence. Chiron comes back out, but he has a few extra stuff with him. He changes into his centaur form and walks over to us. "Nectar and ambrosia," he says, handing over a small bag to Malcolm. I assume whatever he said is inside the bag. "And you have your sword and bow and arrows, Jake?" Jake nods.

Chiron turns to me. "Now, Bell, this was a gift. I knew it was not for me at the time, but was only waiting for the correct owner to come along," He hands me a sterling silver necklace with a detailed heart, and continues, "I believe I know who the owner is now. No matter what you do, you cannot lose this, as I give it to you as the new owner." I put on the silver necklace. Why does he make this seem so important?

"Press both sides of the heart," Chiron tells me. I put the charm in the middle of my thumb and index finger, but now I am no longer holding a necklace. It has transformed to a bow, and I feel a quiver of arrows on my back. So that's why it's so important. The boys stare in shock. "Now slide your fingers on the strap of the quiver." The centaur says. I do so, and I now feel the charm between my fingers again, the silvery small chain still hanging from my neck.

"This is incredible, Chiron." I say to him.

He nods. "It now recognizes you at your touch. A new set of arrows should return every time you change it from a necklace, so you will never run out," he explains, then turns to the boys. "Malcolm, I also put drachmas and mortal money in the bag, in case you need it. Come, you should be going now if you want to get those half-bloods." Chiron forces a small smile and we begin walking up the hill to the pine tree.

The five of us are at the top of the hill, right before the border of camp. A man in a suit is waiting for us, but he doesn't have two eyes, only _way_ more. Nobody even mentions it.

Malcolm, Jake, and I turn to face Chiron and Nico. We say our goodbyes, which don't seem all that happy.

"Bye, Nico." I say to him.

"Bye, Bell. I'll see you again, right?" Nico asks me. I don't really know where that came from, but I say, "Yeah, I'll be back." He looks down a bit and gives me a hug. I'm surprised by the gesture, but I hug him back. I look at the camp and take a deep breath, also taking in the scenery. I have a bad feeling that I won't be able to see Camp Half-blood in a while. Malcolm and Jake seem to be doing the same thing.

"Well, see you later, I guess." I tell Chiron and Nico. We give some last hugs, and walk to the other side of the pine tree, following Argus, the guy with a ton of eyes, downhill and into a car.

I decide against looking back, it might break me. Here, I have found a home, and now I must leave it. No, I'm not leaving, I'm going on a small trip. Yeah, a small trip sounds nice. I'll be coming back home.

I can't believe this is actually happening. We're really going through with this, we're actually going on a quest.

I sit in the back of the car next to the window while Jake sits in between Malcolm and I. I look out the window and mindlessly mess around with that hair clip I put in my pocket from earlier.

"Whatcha got there?" Jake asks, pointing at the hair clip in my hands.

"What? Oh, I use it for my ADHD, to keep myself busy. It always bothers me when I don't have anything to do."

"Okay."

"Nervous much?" Malcolm asks. I shrug.

I decide to go to sleep, I think I might need the energy for later.

I didn't know until I woke up that I was resting my head on Jake's shoulder.


	5. Chapter 5

"Here is fine," Malcolm says. "Thanks, Argus."

I woke up a few minutes ago, still in the car with my quest buddies. Argus slows to a stop. I don't know where we are, yet I'm supposed to be the quest leader. No pressure.

The three of us hop out of the car. Argus gives a small smile from behind the wheel and we watch him disappear into the horizon as he drives back to camp.

"So, we need to head South," I say to the guys. "But how?"

"We can't go on a plane," Malcolm says. "Chiron didn't give us enough money to fly. He only gave us somewhere near $500."

"Okay, then," I reply. "I think we should take the bus. Use them to get ourselves South." The boys think about it for a moment, then nod in agreement.

"You're right," says Malcolm. "It's the best chance we've got. Plus, it costs less than going in the air or on a boat."

Good, we've got a minor destination now, the bus stop. I feel a bit better, knowing where we should go.

In the meantime, the three of us have to walk, which takes a tiring fifteen minutes. Jake and I sit down on the bench while Malcolm checks when the next bus arrives.

Malcolm turns to the two of us and says, "The next one heading South should be here-"

"Right now." I interrupt, slightly pointing to the bus heading our way.

We wait for it to stop and hop in. Luckily, three seats in the very middle are empty, so we sit there. I'm being squished, sitting in between Jake and Malcolm, who don't even realize that they're slowly killing me. Yet I pretend that I'm able to breathe easily.

I decide to take out my hair pin, and reach into my pocket, but it's the wrong pocket. I accidentally pull out the letter my dad had given me and the picture of him. I put it back in my pocket and reach into the other one, finally getting my hair clip.

"Who was that?" Jake asks me. Malcolm looks at me a bit confused, too. No, not confused, more as if he's mentally rummaging through my brain to find the answer. I snap the hair clip over and over again.

"Just my dad." I say to them. I notice Malcolm and Jake share a quick glance at each other.

"Bell, if you don't mind me asking-" Jake starts.

"Actually," I interrupt, a bit stubbornly. "I do mind, Jake."

He looks down at his hands, not saying anything. I glance at Malcolm, who gives me a look as if saying, "_Really_?" but I ignore it. We stay silent for the rest of the bus ride.

I get used to jumping on and off buses with the guys, but we don't really talk to each other. I don't think it's because I snapped, only since there isn't really anything to talk about.

By the end of the day, we make it to West Virginia, though I don't know how we traveled that fast. Luckily, no monsters attacked us.

"So, should we go to a motel or something for the night?" I ask no one in particular.

"That'd be nice." Jake says, yawning.

"I think I saw a hotel down the road." Malcolm says. That's better, I guess. I yawn, a bit tired, though I didn't do much but sit around all day.

The three of us walk to the hotel Malcolm mentioned. The walk isn't long, but it's already dark. We walk inside the lobby and Malcolm asks for one room with three beds. Do they even have that?

"I'm sorry," the guy says to Malcolm. "But there are only two beds per room unless you are suggesting a suite."

Malcolm looks behind his shoulder to see Jake and I. "That's fine, we can make it work." I whisper to him.

"Okay, how much would it be for one night?" Malcolm asks.

"Somewhere around $145."

Malcolm's eyes go wide. _That's a lot_, he mouths to us. I blink and look at the clerk. Let's see if I know how to control these skills of mine.

"It's only $90, right, sir?" I say to the guy.

His eyes are a bit glazed over, and he looks at me confused, then he smiles proudly and says, "Of course it is, ma'am. Here is your key, room number 230, second floor." I grab the card from his hand and thank the man as Malcolm hands him the money in advance.

We walk into the elevator alone as Jake hits the button of our floor. I smile proudly at myself for my abilities.

"How'd you do that?" Jake asks me.

"Easy," says Malcolm before I can answer. "Since Bell is a daughter of Aphrodite, she can Charmspeak. Not all descendants of Aphrodite can do that, which I think is pretty cool." I nod.

"Charmspeak . . ." Jake says to himself, thinking it over. "Oh, _Charmspeak_. I remember reading something about that." The elevator dings and we walk out.

"Here it is." Malcolm calls, finding our hotel room. I give him the card and he opens the door, and the three of us walk in.

It's an average hotel room, a window, two queen-sized beds, small tables and a T.V. I don't touch anything yet, only stand in the middle of the room, where I make contact with nothing but the floor.

"What is it?" Jake asks, walking up to me.

"Can you guys check if there's any spiders?" I ask.

"Seriously, Bell? Spiders?" he says. Meanwhile, Malcolm is suddenly cautious once I mentioned the creeps.

"Yes, spiders. I am not taking any chances." I plead to Jake.

He rolls his eyes and takes a sweep of the room, lifting everything up to make sure. "All clear."

I sigh and sit on the edge of a bed. I pull out the picture of my dad from my pocket and study it. He's smiling, but it's a real smile. I haven't worn something like that ever since we got the news that he passed. I didn't cry at first because I refused it as reality. I would just sit in a chair in my room, clutching one of his t-shirts, and stare at a wall, trying not to think about anything. All of that had happened half a year ago. I shake off the thoughts and put the picture back in my pocket. I look up and see Malcolm and Jake staring at me, but they both avert their eyes.

"I'll take the floor." I say, breaking a silence that wasn't as awkward as it should've been.

"No, it's okay," says Jake. "You guys can sleep on the beds, I'll take the floor."

"I'm fine with the floor, Jake," I say to him. "I fall asleep easily."

"But a spider could be crawling on the floor." Jake points out, knowing I wouldn't back down his generous offer. Malcolm and I both shudder at the word of our worst fear. I'm not so optimistic about him mentioning spiders, but I say, "Okay."

I look at the digital clock, saying it's 11:00PM. "We should go to sleep now," I say to the guys. "We'll probably get to Florida by tomorrow, and I don't want to waste any time when we could be saving those half-bloods, instead."

Malcolm and Jake nod in agreement. The three of us get ready for bed, and we fall asleep soon enough. No, not we, _they_ fell asleep. I stay up and stare at the picture of my dad, imagining of what could've been.

Dad promised me that we'd go to the movies once he came back. But he never did. My ten year old step-brother and I would fight for stupid reasons, as always. But now we never would. My step-mother bakes a lot on her free time, giving us warm brownies and cookies for no reason. But she can never do that again. I can read my books over and over again, feeling emotions for people that aren't even real, but they were real to me. But I never can, anymore. Why? Because all of those simple wishes are dead. What _should've been_ turned into what _could've been_. All of that is just a fantasy that will _never_ come true, no matter how much I wish for it to be. Dead. Dead, dead, dead. All of it: dead.

After we had been informed of my dad, my step-mother started drinking more. She would pretend to be sober, for my little step-brother's sake. I guess she really loved my dad. But pretending is different than anything really being true. I think she _was_ sober while driving to that school picnic, but we still got in an accident. I did my best, really, to help my step-brother out, but the impact came from his side. I couldn't do anything about it, no. I tried to help my step-mom, but our car had spun, resulting in a metal post squishing the driver's seat. Metal bent. Glass broke. Lives were cheated into death. But me? I'm still alive. I'm not just alive, but I also need to _save_ lives, while on this quest. That's a good thing, helping save those half-bloods, right? Yeah, it is. Will that bring my mortal family back to life? No, it won't.

I feel silent tears come down, and I sniff a little. This is exactly what happens when I'm left alone with my thoughts. Feelings. Not that I don't need them, but I have them. Feelings.

I keep staring at the picture, giving me my memories that are no longer mine, since I am no longer home. Not Camp Half-blood, no. The home I'm thinking of right now is where my dad and I would laugh together. Where my step-brother and I would bicker with each other. That is the home of where my memories are.

I close my eyes for a second, tears still streaming, and tell myself to knock it off. I silently put the picture on the nightstand, facedown, and try to fall to sleep.

I can't.

My feelings are implanted into my mind for the night. I sit up, put my legs to my chest, and silently sob. I can't believe I'm crying like this. I usually push away my feelings, but they won't leave me alone tonight.

_Stop crying_, I think to myself. I can't. I feel so pathetic, crying, especially when there are people around, wether they're sleeping or not. I pull myself together and silently walk to the bathroom. I wash my face, make sure my tears won't come back, and walk out. I resume my position in the bed, hugging my knees to my chest, and don't even bother to try and sleep. It's going to be one of those nights where I fail to rest.

"Bell?" I hear somebody whisper. It doesn't startle me, for some reason, as if I was expecting it. I see a silhouette of Jake stand up from the floor and walk towards me. "Bell, are you okay?" Jake asks, sitting next to me on the side of the bed, letting me able to see him clearly. I nod in reply.

"Bell, I know you were crying," he says to me. "Are you okay?" I decide that it's fine to stop forcing myself to shield my real emotions, and shake my head. Jake puts his feet on the bed and places an arm around me, making him nearly lie down. I look up a bit so I can see his eyes. I don't feel any tears coming anymore. "Don't worry, it's gonna be alright." he says. He gives me a hug from the side, and I'm finally able to fall asleep.

* * *

"Uh, guys?" I hear someone say, waking me up. I open my eyes and Malcolm comes into view, who's standing at the foot of the bed. "I think we should start traveling again." he says. Malcolm doesn't look at me long, instead he looks everywhere _except_ at me.

"Hmm?" I notice Jake's arm still around me, just as it was last night. He must've fallen asleep. Jake and I both look at each other then look away, and I can feel my face get warm. He takes his arm off and we both get out of bed. I notice Malcolm is suppressing his laughter.

"Well," I say to them nonchalantly. "We better get going."

We all get ready to leave the hotel. I give the key to the guy in the lobby and we leave.

"I hope you didn't get used to sleeping in an actual bed," Malcolm says to Jake and I. "We shouldn't be using the money like that anymore. We're lucky to even walk out of that building without any monster attacking us." I nod in agreement.

"I also think we should stop using the bus," I say to the two. "We should probably travel by foot, to keep ourselves active."

"But we'll have plenty of time for that while we're at sea." Jake whines.

"Yeah, Bell," says Malcolm. "It would be quicker to take the bus, for the other demigods' sake." I sigh. "Fine, let's just go now." I say to them.

The three of us sit down on the bench at a bus stop. Malcolm said the next bus should be here in thirty minutes or so. We stay silent, but I feel a bit on edge, as if something is watching me.

Across the road, a squirrel climbs out of a tree, and seems to be looking at me. It blinks, and for a second it's eyes are a dark shade of green. The squirrel slowly makes its way to the three of us. I put the charm of my necklace between my fingers and am now holding my bow.

"Bell?" Jake asks.

"Weapons out." I say to the both of them. They do as I say.

I ready my bow, and aim at the squirrel, but don't shoot. I need to be sure it's a monster. No car seems to be coming, which is good, even if we probably didn't need it thanks to the Mist. Slowly, the squirrel becomes larger and snarls. I shoot my arrow, hitting it in the chest, but it doesn't die. My arrow ricochets like it's rubber.

Jake probably has a magical object like my necklace, because he ends up holding a sword in a quick second. I notice Malcolm is holding a sword, too.

The squirrel-monster thing is twice my size now, and the details are not pretty. Honestly, the thing reeks worse than a sewer, and I have had enough experience with sewers. Jake tries to slice it at the stomach, but the blade doesn't even trim its fur. Vulnerabilities, I need to think of its vulnerabilities. The first thing I think of is its eyes, so I aim my next arrow right there. I shoot, and the monster screeches and turns to dust, but not before it swipes my side with its razor-sharp claws.

I scream in pain and drop my bow, clutching my wound. I let myself fall on the pavement, my left side burning. "Bell!" Jake says, running and kneeling next to me on the ground. I keep screaming through my clenched teeth, not bothering to look at the blood. "Bring her on the bench!" Malcolm commands.

"This might hurt." Jake says to me. He puts one arm behind the back of my knees and another arm behind my head. He carefully lifts me up to the ground, which most _definitely_ hurts. He carefully lies me down on the bench, letting me lean on my right side, where the monster didn't get me. I feel light headed, and it hurts to breath. My breaths begin to get slower. I slide two fingers on my quiver's strap to let it turn back to my necklace, my bow disappearing from the ground.

Malcolm lifts my shirt, high enough to examine the wound and _only_ the wound, obviously. "They're pretty deep cuts," Malcolm says, now rummaging through the backpack Chiron gave us. "I'll pour some nectar, but it might hurt, okay Bell?" I don't know what that monster has against me, because those claws are basically taking me away from the world. I force myself to keep my eyes open, even if they insist on shutting. I feel Jake grab my hand and see him kneel beside me so we're face to face, but he's a bit blurry. He puts his other hand on my cheek, as if my face my shatter if he doesn't hold it.

"Here it goes." I hear Malcolm say. I suddenly feel something cold getting poured onto my wound, and it stings for a few, yet extremely long, seconds. I moan through my clenched teeth, probably squeezing Jake's hand off, and decide not to look so I shut my eyes instead. The burning stops, and now the nectar makes me feel much better. I'm still a bit lightheaded, but feel a bit better now that the nectar helped the cuts.

I take a deep breath. "Are you okay, Bell?" Jake asks me, who is no longer blurry so I can see his eyes, full of concern.

"Another day in paradise." I say.

"Here, eat some of this. It's ambrosia." Malcolm hands me some edible shapes that look really appetizing. I nibble on the food while Jake is still holding my other hand unknowingly. I begin to sit up on the bench, but Malcolm stops me.

"Bell, you need to rest for now. It's only ten in the morning and you almost died a few minutes ago. Gods, we still need to find the three other half-bloods!" he exclaims. I chuckle a bit at his being so on edge.

"I'm fine, Malcolm. Thanks for helping me, by the way." I say to him, sitting up even when he didn't want me to. I look at the bench and see lots of blood on the metal. My shirt is also torn and has a huge splotch of blood on it.

"Yeah," Malcolm starts. "You should probably change your shirt . . ."

* * *

A few minutes later, I am standing behind the glass protecting the bench of the bus stop. "If you two even dare to _try_ and-"

"Don't worry, Bell," Malcolm calls without turning his head.

I sigh and quickly change into another Camp Half-blood shirt, not facing them.

I walk back to the boys, stuffing my wrecked t-shirt into a trash bin.

"Bus should be here any minute." Malcolm informs us. The three of us sit in silence.

A few minutes later, the bus arrives. We hop in, and hardly anyone is inside. We decide to sit in the very back, me sitting in between Jake and Malcolm again. I know there will be hardly anything to do for the rest of the day. Sounds fun.

I yawn and say, "I'm gonna take a nap. Wake me when someone is about to get killed." Jake yawns while Malcolm rolls his eyes. I tilt my head a bit and fall asleep, worry still heaving itself on my shoulders.


	6. Chapter 6

I know it's just a dream, but everything is so vivid. So . . . Real.

I am sitting in a red, cushioned chair. I look around and see that I'm inside a clothing store that was near the hotel that Malcolm, Jake, and I stayed at. We passed by it, but I never gave the store any thought because it looks so girly.

I turn back around and see a beautiful lady ! probably in her 20's, sitting in another chair in front of me. She has long, wavy, dark brown hair. I notice the color slightly shifts every minute or so, turning to different shades until it turns blonde, and slowly transforms back to dark brown. Her eyes do the same thing, yet in more simple colors. I notice a diagonal scar on her left eyebrow, extremely close to her eye. There's a tad of weariness in her eyes, but a nice smile, a _real_ smile, is worn. The only makeup she seems to wear is pale lipgloss and black eyeliner that compliments her eyes. The woman wears a simple, dark purple t-shirt and jeans.

I notice she picks herself up so confidently, not seeming to let anything drag her down. I wonder how I would seem if I held my head high like that.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Bell," the woman says with a smile. "You are more than you think." I scrunch my eyebrows. Who is this lady? "I see my blessing hasn't worn off yet." she tells me.

"Aphrodite?" I ask.

"Yes, darling. I am your mother."

I raise my eyebrows, not in shock, but anger instead. "That would've been nice to know a few years ago," I grunt, crossing my arms. "Why are we even talking, anyways?" She replies with an amusing smile.

"Relax, Bellanca. The gods are not allowed to help our children with their quests, though, but I wouldn't be talking to you if it wasn't urgent."

"Just like how my mortal family's deaths weren't urgent enough." I mutter.

The goddess looks at me with a bit of sorrow. "I'm sorry I couldn't come to you for anything over the years. The Fates made it like that. But don't say I haven't helped. Remember when you were getting attacked by that monster, right before you found Camp Half-blood?"

I think over that night, and remember that I had a feeling that I needed to get past that pine tree.

"There you go," my mother says, knowing I remember. "I helped you know where you were supposed to go. And also the time you Charmspoke that man into teaching you sword fighting."

I was Charmspeaking then?

"I was also thinking how you're not in a love triangle! If you didn't know, some boys at that camp of yours have a bit of a crush on you. Like that one child of Hephaestus-"

"Didn't you mention something being urgent?" I interrupt her. There's no way I'm talking about that stuff.

"Oh, right! I must warn you of one thing, Bellanca. It is your fatal flaw."

"My fatal flaw?"

"Yes. Every hero has a fatal flaw, and it is called fatal for a reason. Just about every half-blood dies because of it. I feel obligated to tell you what your fatal flaw is before it hurts anyone, including yourself."

I look into the eyes of the goddess of love, interested in whatever my flaw is. She notices the small difference in my expression and gives a sad smile.

"Personal loyalty, that is it." Aphrodite says to me.

"What?" I say, shocked. There's no way my fatal flaw is _loyalty_.

"You'd do anything to save your loved ones, Bell. Even people you've hardly met, in hopes of something good from those people. This information is very important for your quest, Bell. I do not know how, but I am positive your loyalty will be extremely important sooner or later. I think it's quite sweet, actually, especially for that son of Apollo," she winks at me. "I believe that Percy Jackson has the same fatal flaw, too. It is both good and bad, but you are the one to choose which. As Percy has been told once, many years ago, you'd sacrifice the world to save a friend."

Okay, I decide not to lie to myself about this. My mother may be the goddess of love, but I surely don't feel loved. Here she is, telling me my greatest flaw is loyalty, yet she's been ignoring me for sixteen years. I feel myself flush in anger. "That's _all_ you have to say? 'Hi Bell! Nice to finally see you sixteen years after you were born! By the way, you have this flaw that can kill you and I honestly think you should be in a love triangle! Nice talking, see you in a few years, bye!'" I mock while using a ridiculous accent.

She closes her eyes for a few seconds then opens them again and says, "Bellanca, I honestly would've spoken to you before if I was allowed. I'm risking speaking to you right now, even. Oh, before I leave, I need to tell you one more thing," I cross my arms and wait for her to continue. "This quest is unlike any other. It is more dangerous than you and your friends think, so be cautious."

At the very last word, we hear thunder in the distance. "Zeus senses I am talking to you, I must leave. And tell Jake I said hi." she adds that last part as she gives me a quick hug and vanishes into thin air. I'm still seated in my chair, but why or how, I don't know. Shouldn't I have woken up by now?

Okay Bell, you need to wake up now. I've woken myself up from dreams before, so I know how to do so very easily. I close my eyes and lean back, then I force myself out of my mind, and lean forward.

I am about open my eyes but I hear Malcolm and Jake talking about something. I keep my breaths even and pretend to still be sleeping.

"..._Though they will never heal, the power of love will engross_." Malcolm says.

"And why, exactly, did you need to recite the prophecy again?" Jake asks him.

"I think there's something weird about it. It says '_One shall be lost whilst down afloat,' _which probably means either someone might go crazy, or could die_."_

_"_Dying doesn't sound good." Jake states. I mentally roll my eyes.

"Do you think we should tell Bell? She _is_ the leader of the quest, after all." Malcolm asks.

The two stay silent for a while, then Jake says, "No, we shouldn't tell her. She's already on edge, as it is. Plus, the girl seems determined to make sure all of us come back alive. Imagine what would happen if she even thinks about one of us dying?"

Excuse me?

"Yeah," Malcolm replies. "I think you're right. Just let her sleep."

_Excuse_ me?!

"By the way," Malcolm continues. "What was that about, you and Bell?" I can practically hear Malcolm's grin while he speaks.

"Don't you even think about telling her that I like her, Malcolm. If you even try to-"

"Relax, dude. Just stop making it so obvious, and stop with all that corny stuff, it's getting annoying."

Corny stuff?

"Whatever." Jake replies.

I pretend I'm still sleeping for a minute or two while the guys continue talking about stupid stuff like what ambrosia might taste like to certain people and such.

I slowly open my eyes and sit up.

"Hey, Bell," Jake says as he sees that I've "woken up."

"Did you have any dreams?" he asks me.

If the two of them decide not to tell me that someone might _die _on this quest, then I don't have to say anything about my mom talking to me and what she said.

"No, actually, I didn't have any dreams." I tell them.


	7. Chapter 7

"So," Jake says. We're in the fourth bus for today, and I am officially used to road trips. "What's the plan once we get to Florida?"

"A plan," I ask. "We actually need a plan?"

"Yes. . ." Jake said, a tad of a worried look playing on his face

"I was planning on winging it and see where that would get us. Yeah, that's a good plan." I nod at my brilliant plan.

"Bell, that doesn't count as a plan." Jake reasons.

"Oh, shut up! Like you two thought of something better." I reason out.

"Actually, I was thinking that after we find a boat from somewhere-" Malcolm starts.

"A boat? Where, exactly, are we going to find a boat at such short notice?" I interrupt. I'm feeling a bit stubborn today.

"Well," Malcolm begins. "I was thinking-"

"Or, Malcolm." A man says, popping in the seat in front of us out of no where. He absolutely startles me, and I hold my hands to my chest in shock.

I study the man, who is actually a teenager, and, must I say, a cute one at that. It seems like he's eighteen, with sandy hair and a cocky smile. He looks a bit like Jake, (who is currently staring at the guy in shock). The man is wearing a bright, sleeveless white t-shirt, along with blue jeans and loafers. And, oh gods, he has that kind of outdoorsy good looks.

Did I really just think that?

Oh well, I could get used to it.

I don't realize that I'm tilting my head a bit and slightly grinning, but luckily, my clueless quest buddies don't notice.

"Jake," the guy says. "My man! How's it going?"

Gods, I can seriously get used to this.

Jake stutters not words, but sounds, instead, obviously confused.

"You're Apollo." Malcolm states.

Really? The sun god seems to be sticking to his title of the temperature of the sun.

"Heck yeah, I'm Apollo." he says. I still don't know where my words are.

"Dad?" Jake asks, finally getting something out.

"Yup," Apollo nods. "I decided to come by and make some slight conversation, seems like you guys need some help, too."

Why am I not able to speak? I've fought monsters, spoken to my mother earlier _today_, for Zeus's sake.

The three of us stay silent and wait for Apollo to say something.

"Aren't you a bit young to be Jake's dad?" I blurt out. My very first words to the son god, everybody.

Apollo laughs and transforms himself into a middle aged man. "This better?" he asks, smirking.

"No, no, you were _perfectly_ fine as that whole eighteen year old, mellow dude." I say to him. "Plus you're hot." I mutter to myself.

Malcolm hears me and says, "What?"

I reply nonchalanty by saying, "What?"

"No, you're fine right now." Jake says, scrunching his eyebrows in a flush of anger. Why anger? His dad is _seriously_ hot for crying out loud.

"No. You can _totally_ change back to before." I state, nodding my head. Apollo flashes another cocky smile as he transforms back to his eighteen year old self. I sigh and bite my lip before I can say anything stupid again.

"So, Mr. Apollo, sir," Malcolm pops up. "What would you want to talk to us about?"

"Well, I heard you guys need a ride?"

I nod. Apollo snaps his fingers and the four of us are no longer in the bus, but standing on a hill. . . With the sun attached to a red Maserati.

"Sweet gods." I say.

"I know, right? Well, you better hurry and hop in, guys," Apollo tells us. "I need to go, we've got a schedule here!" He claps his hands, as if it will make us get in the car faster.

I sit in the front passenger seat while Malcolm and Jake sit in the back. Apollo hops in the driver's seat and starts the engine, and soon enough, we're off into the sky.

I look out the car and see the world, so far down. I quickly duck my head back in, and begin hyperventilating. I close my eyes and try to breathe slower, but it's not working.

"You okay there, Bell? You seem a bit nervous, if you ask me." Apollo says.

I keep my eyes closed and reply, "Never better."

"Okay. Well, you might as well take a nap, the ride is gonna take the rest of the day, since it's noon right now." I look at him and he winks.

Apollo snaps his fingers and my eyes get a little droopy. "Yeah," I say. "You're right. Wake me up when we get there?"

"Sure thing." The god of prophecy gives a cocky grin which is the last thing I see before I fall asleep, still in the chariot that's driving the sun.


	8. Chapter 8

**Malcolm's POV**

We are currently in a red Maserati, the sun chariot, with Jake's father, Apollo. I know it's strictly prohibited that the gods can't help their children on quests, and Apollo knows, too. I also know that he purpposely put Bell to sleep.

I watch as the sun god tilts his head towards Bell then says, "Yep, she's fully asleep now."

"Um, Apollo?" I ask. He raises his eyebrows and looks at me questioningly through the rearview mirror. "Why'd you have Bell fall asleep?"

He waves off the question then holds a finger up and says, "Wait, I feel a haiku coming on.

_My son's on a quest._

_His cute girlfriend is asleep._

_I am extremely hot god._"

He counts each syllable with his fingers, then I see him scrunch his eyebrows through the mirror. "Darn, that's six syllables." I decide not to mention how horrible that haiku was.

"Dad, why are you helping us?" Jake asks.

Apollo shrugs. "I just wanted to give you guys some advice, tell you stories, stuff like that."

"Which is. . .?" I ask.

The god of prophecy sighs, then says, "I put Bell to sleep for a reason. She's more important than you two could ever imagine! But she wouldn't be telling her entire life story openly, so I've decided to tell you instead! You see, she was often bullied at school. That's how she learned how to fight her way through, never got any real friends, either. Also, her father was. . . Erm. . ."

"What?" Jake and I say together.

"In the army, of course. He went overseas a lot, and he had to go to Afghanistan once. He died, though. I saw it happen. Poor guy got shot to death, but they decided not to tell her family. They thought it shouldn't be put in their minds. Bellanca, on the other hand, she couldn't cope with a reality for a month or two. Her step-mom was hardly sober anymore, and her ten year old step-brother didn't even know what was really going on. Bell ended up becoming the protecter of the family, technically. She's a fighter, which is hard to find in children of sweet ole' Aphrodite. Special one you got there, Jake."

I stifle a laugh while Jake's cheeks turn pink.

"Anyways," Apollo continues. "Her school was having a picnic on a weekend, and thankfully, her mother was completely sober that day. Unfortunately, monsters found out that Bell was a half-blood. On the way to the picnic, a monster slammed into their car, killing her step-mom and step-brother. The girl thinks it was just a regular car crash, though. Bell was put into a foster home, where the kids made fun of her, just like at school. She didn't show any weakness, though. The girl stood up to the kids, and she did so with courage, just how her father would've wanted. I believe she felt proud whenever she thought about it like that.

"Thing is, more monsters caught her scent. They began attacking, and Bell had to run away. She was homeless for three months, sleeping in sewers and suffered from sleep deprivation later on. She was getting attacked by monsters so much, she was afraid to go to sleep. Heck, she even began hallucinating, and I was worried she was going crazy. One monster was sent to kill her, but who sent it, I don't know. He just couldn't let her get to Camp Half-blood, but she found it soon enough, thankfully. She stopped hallucinating when she found Camp Half-blood, too.

"And now the three of you are on a quest. And a dangerous one at that, sounds cool, huh? As the god of prophecy, I know you know that I know what your prophecy means. I wish I could tell you, but what's the point of prophecy if it's not confusing? By the way Malcolm, knowledge isn't everything, and one can kill for it. Just thought I outta say."

I feel dirty, like an intruder. I found out just about everything Bell obviously didn't want to tell us.

"Oh, almost forgot to mention," Apollo says. "That's all why Bell's hardly close to anyone anymore. Bell will never say this out loud, but she's afraid of hurting the ones that she loves. She does feel close to people easily though, but doesn't show it. She'll do anything to protect her friends, and she believes the only way to do that is not let them get close to her so much. I think it actually makes her lonely, really. It's her fatal flaw. I'm sure she's told you about that."

"What? No, she hasn't mentioned anything about that." Jake says, speaking for me, too.

"No? Oh, that's right, I forgot. Should I tell you guys? Hmm . . . Yeah, I should," Apollo says, talking to himself. "Well, I know that she had a dream with her mother, I've got that cool supernatural thing that tells me."

"She _what_?" Jake asks.

"I just said, she had a dream with her mother. It was today in that bus, actually. Then she woke up and. . . Oh right! She heard you two trying to decipher the prophecy, quite clever, actually, how she was pretending to be asleep."

Jake and I look at each other with alarm. We silently mouth to each other with big hand gestures that we should pretend we never heard any of this.

Most peoples' life stories aren't wanted to be heard, and here we are, sitting in a flying car with the knowledge of Bell's life. No, not the entire story, but the major parts of it, I believe.

"So you're saying Bell had a dream with Aphrodite that has information that could help, and didn't tell us?" I ask the god, who shrugs.

"Well yeah, but then again, you guys were speaking about information that could help on the quest and you didn't tell _her_."

"Wait a minute, Dad," interrupts Jake. "So her fatal flaw is pushing others away?"

I roll my eyes. This is even more personal information of Bell's that I'm sure she doesn't want us to hear about.

"It seems like it, but no. Her fatal flaw is personal loyalty, and I can see it risking her life one day."

"What?!" Jake is anguished, and both of our eyes are wide open.

"I probably shouldn't have told you that," Apollo says to us. "You know what? Don't mention it, _at all_."

I nod in agreement. Apollo snaps his fingers and Bellanca stirs a bit.

"She's waking up." Apollo tells us. He's right, obviously. Bell rubs her eyes and sits up, then lets the fact sink in that we're still in the chariot in disguise.

"Hey Bell," Apollo says, looking at her. "How you feeling?"

She sighs. "Fine. When are we gonna be there?"

"Almost there, I believe. Oh! That reminds me, that ambrosia and nectar didn't fix you up all the way, Bell. C'mere, I can fix it."

Apollo leans closer to Bell and places his hand where the monster slashed at her earlier. He soon takes his hand back while Bell pokes her side to see if there's any pain left. "Thanks! So," Bell continues, turning her head to see Jake and I. "Any idea of how we're gonna get a boat?"

I sigh, and begin to tell them, "As I was saying earlier-"

"I made sure to put a nice big ship there, for you three! It's gonna be sweet!" Apollo interrupts, smiling.

"Dad," Jake begins. "Isn't it risky enough that you're letting us ride in your sun chariot?"

His father shrugs and says, "Nah, I feel like I need to help my kid out right now. It's a gut feeling, you know? And my gut is always right."

I don't think the sun god is always out in the open like this, but I am absolutely sure it's really him, at least.

Apollo looks down at the world and smiles. "Alright, guys," he says to us. "We're here! I just need to park. . ." The Maserati slams onto the dirt, making us all bounce in our seats. We hop out of the car and into some grass. Bell drops to the ground and hugs the grass while muttering, "Sweet, sweet land." The three of us watch her in amusement.

"Well," Apollo says, clapping his hands together. "I'm afraid this is where I need to leave you guys. But before I go, I feel a haiku." Before I can make up an excuse to avoid the god's bad poems, he's already saying it.

"_I got a cool ship,_

_Sun resting on the damp grass._

_Apollo is the hottest god alive._"

I can tell he's counting the syllables in his head, pointing at imaginary areas of each word. He then scrunches his eyebrows and anguishes, saying, "That's _ten_ syllables! Why can't I get this right?! Hmm. . . No, it's right, my perfection is just too much for Japan to handle." He nods at his comment and turns back to the three of us.

I notice Jake is looking at him in either hope or sadness. I'd understand whichever one it is, but I don't mention it.

"Aww, fine. Group hug!" Apollo says, opening his arms up. We reluctantly hug each other, which is pretty awkward. "Not the hair!" Apollo exclaims. We all back out of the hug and I notice Bell taking in the appearance of the sun chariot. I decide to do the same, it's not everyday you get to spend half a day with the sun god in one of his most known symbols of power.

"Bye, remember that I see you all everyday, just look past the sun." Apollo tell us as he hops into his car, giving a cocky grin. "But not _too_ much, I don't want you guys to go blind. And, just remember that you all need to be extremely careful." he adds. With that, Jake's dad flies in the air with his Maserati/sun chariot and continues with his work.

I slap Jake on the back reassuringly and say, "It's fine, dude. C'mon, we've got some half-bloods to save."

The three of us walk to the shore where an old fashioned ship awaits.


	9. Chapter 9

**Jake's POV**

"You guys ready?" Malcolm asks Bell and I.

We're in the ship that my dad, Apollo, gave us. It was nice of him, I guess. It sort of makes up for him not talking to me for sixteen years. Well, seventeen now, technically. Today, August 18, is my birthday. Not that anyone really knows except Malcolm and my half-siblings at camp. Not even Apollo said happy birthday to me, but he seemed to have known Bell, with his "supernatural abilities" and stuff.

Bell starts the engine and gives Malcolm a thumbs up, who is at the wheel or whatever else you call it. I watch as Bell walks below deck.

Malcolm begins steering or whatever, I'm not good with this whole pirate ship type of stuff. We sail into the sea, and I watch as the shore slowly comes out of view.

Am I scared? I don't know, actually. I've been asking myself that question ever since Chiron issued this quest. I was hoping to be terrified, that's what people normally feel like when you have to go to one of the most dangerous places for a demigod. The thing is, I don't feel terrified, or even slightly scared. I feel something, but I think it's more worry than fear. There's an annoying little voice in my head asking what if something goes wrong. What if one of us really dies? What if we don't save the three other half-bloods? What if one of us get hurt or injured or something?

I sigh and shut the voice out, walking towards Malcolm. "Hey," I say to him. "So, how long do you think it'll take us to get to the Sea of Monsters?"

Malcolm shrugs. "I'm not sure. It might take a while, though," he tells me. "There's a bigger distance between Florida and the Bermuda Triangle than you would think. Happy birthday, by the way."

"Not as happy as you think." I mutter to myself.

"Hey guys!" Bell says, walking to us enthusiastically. She's holding a candy wrapper, and I noticed her pockets seem full.

"Where'd you get that?" I ask her, pointing at the wrapper.

"Oh, your dad put a huge stack of food in the back! He had a little note saying that it's all fresh." she tells the two of us, grabbing some more candy from her pocket.

"Gimme one." Malcolm says. She hands one to him, and I hold my hand out, too. Bell raises her eyebrows at me and says, "You can get it yourself, Jake. I only gave one to Malcolm because he's steering the ship."

I sigh and walk inside, looking around, still thinking of the conversation Malcolm and I had with Apollo. He seemed to have warned Malcolm about something with knowledge, and I don't know what that's supposed to even mean. And why did he give us this boat? He didn't have to, honestly. I'm also sure that Malcolm is wondering the same thing.

I take one more sweep of the area, and walk back out, onto the deck. "I can't find it, Bell."

She's standing next to the railing on the deck, looking at the water. Bell turns to me, and I notice that the blessing of Aphrodite is beginning to wear off, but it doesn't make much of a difference. The sunlight makes her hair glow a dark red, but only around her hair, making the rest a dark brown and black. There's a cute gleam in her eyes, letting me see the different colors that change so nonchalantly. Why does she have to be like that? I mean, she's beautiful without even trying, and I can't even compete with my own mind about that. It feels like I melt every time I look at her, wether I like it or not.

"You can't be blind," Bell says, looking up to me. "Here, I guess I'll have to show you, then." She walks down and inside as I follow behind.

She looks up and searches for something, then jumps to try and reach a chord for the light. "I had to jump earlier. . ." she mutters to herself. I snicker and lift my arm a bit, turning on the lights for her. I guess she's not _that_ tall, only at the height of my shoulders.

"Thanks. Alright, this way." She looks around then walks into an area that I didn't notice before. I reach for another chord for the lights but she stops me, saying, "No, I wanna get it this time." I step back and let her jump helplessly, the tips of her fingers hardly touching the chord. She looks around and grabs a large box, placing it on the floor, and stands on it. I don't know how, but Bell can hardly pull the chord again, so she has to get another box to stack, climbing up.

I stand close by and watch while she's finally able to turn the lights on. Bell begins to turn around, but her foot slips off the edge of the box while the ship is rocking. She is about to hit the ground, but I move swiftly and catch her, my arms under her knees and behind her head. I place her on the floor, letting her stand.

"Uh, thanks." Bell says, and calmly walks over to a stash of food.

There's varieties of edible goodness, and I also notice stashes of clothes. I walk over to the clothes and notice there are six different sizes for people, not three. I guess my dad had the three other half-bloods that we're supposed to save in mind, too. I notice a stack has some small sized clothes. I guess there's gonna be a kid on board, too, and not just us teens.

I grab a handful of candy and stuff it in my pockets, and also a water bottle. A small card catches my eye, in the other side of the room. A walk over and pick it up, reading the words.

"_Dear Jake, _

_I know you're on a quest and all, and it might not feel like a good birthday, considering the fact that you have to go on a dangerous quest. Just know that I'm watching, always looking out for you and your brothers and sisters. Stay cool. Here's a haiku for you:_

_Happy Birthday, Jake!_

_Your dad is an awesome god._

_You're pretty awesome, too._

_Love, your dad :)_

_P. S. __Darn, that has six syllables, not five! Oh well. And by the way, you should seriously get to know your girlfriend better, she's more gloomy than you think._"

I roll my eyes while reading that last part. _She's not my girlfriend_, I think to myself. I smile at that bad yet touching haiku my dad wrote for me. So Apollo actually did remember my birthday.

I turn around and see that Bell is still looking at the food pile, searching for more candy. Her eyes light up as she finds one, popping it into her mouth. I laugh in the inside and walk out, turning off the lights as Bell follows me.

She skips out in front of me and onto the deck, putting more candy in her mouth as I walk behind.

"You guys should stop eating that." Malcolm tells her

Bell shrugs. "Who cares? I need my sugar."

"Have you been sleeping, if you need that much sugar to boost you up?" Malcolm asks her, probably remembering that Apollo mentioned she still has sleep deprivation.

Bell looks taken a back, but quickly shields it with a calm expression. "Of course I've been sleeping. Remember? In the sun chariot, the bus, at the hotel, at camp."

Malcolm doesn't look impressed with her answer, but he says, "Okay."

"How long has it been?" I ask Malcolm.

"Twenty minutes or so. Honestly, this is taking forever."

"I think I can steer the ship if you're tired." Bell offers.

Malcolm shakes his head. "No, I'm fine."

Bell shrugs and walks down the small, wooden stairs. She puts her charm from her necklace in between her fingers, which transforms into her bow and arrows. I watch as she shoots at invisible targets, just as accurate as my siblings and I.

"Hey Bell," I say, walking towards her. "Want to practice some hand-to-hand combat with me?"

She shrugs and lets her bow turn back to her necklace, then faces me.

I put my hands into fists, and so does she. I make the first move, swinging my fist at her side, but she deflects it and hits a pressure point by my elbow. I shrink down a bit in pain, but swing my leg under Bell's foot so she falls on her back. I put my knee on her stomach and my forearm to her neck, smirking. "I won." I say to her.

"Yeah, about that. . ." she says. Somehow, she knees my side, making me fall over. Bell swiftly puts her knees on both of my wrists so I can't move them, and her forearm to my neck, like I did to her. Her hair is hanging off one side, and her face is about five inches away from while she's grinning with pride. Oh gods, could she stop that? It's seriously killing me.

"Done yet, or do you wanna keep 'practicing?'" Bell asks.

She expects a reply, but her weight isn't enough to keep me down, so I slide one of my wrists to let her slip, and she does. I quickly stand back up and ready a stance. Bell gets up from the floor, and faces me. I kick her side, but not as hard as I'm capable of, only forceful enough to make her stumble. Once she steadies herself, I'm about to punch her middle, but she swiftly and flawlessly grabs my arm and flips me over her own body, and I fall on the floor with a thud.

"Nice one, Bell!" I hear Malcolm call.

"Shut up!" I playfully yell at him, standing back up.

Suddenly, Bell tackles me from the front, making the two of us fall down, me on my back. Our faces are close again, and I feel this tingly thing in my chest. Ignoring it, I get up and help Bell stand, too.

While Bell is laughing, I grab her arms and pull her towards me. She tries to make me let her go, but I don't. Instead of continuing to fight, I sway a bit, letting my hands slip into hers as she begins to relax.

We joyfully dance with each other to the imaginary music. We both smile at each other, Bell giggling every now and then. We look at each other's eyes, and I watch her's morph into different colors. I twirl Bell around, both of us smiling, then dip her, and she laughs adorably and has a wide smile as I lift her back up.

The two of us continue dancing while the ship slowly rocks side to side, completing the mood. The two of us spin around the deck, and I twirl Bell again. This is fun.

"Guys," Malcolm calls over to us from the wheel. Bell and I stop dancing and face him, still holding one of each other's hands.

Malcolm looks past Bell and I and into the ocean and says, "We're entering the Sea of Monsters."


	10. Chapter 10

**Jake's POV**

Honestly, I don't want to die. I don't want anyone to die. But Malcolm decided to sail us closer to Charybdis, one of the ugly-things that guards the Sea of Monsters. He said we can't get in the Sea of Monsters unless we sail through Charybdis and Scylla, but I was hoping for a rainbow as an entrance with unicorns instead.

"Goodbye, life." I hear Bell mutter to herself as we look into the distance.

"Put on life jackets, just in case!" Malcolm yells at us through the rough sounds of the ocean. Bell and I do so, and Malcolm puts one on, too.

I can't really see much. The sky is overcast, the air feeling humid and is hazy, like a steaming iron. I can see fuzzy dark splotches in the distance if I squint my eyes really hard.

I don't know why, but the three of us stay together on deck. After a few more minutes, the dark splotches come into focus. I see a huge mass of rock rising out of the sea, an island with cliffs about a hundred feet tall at least. About half a mile away from that, a storm brews in a patch of darkness. Both the sky and sea boil together, loud and harsh.

Bell walks up to Malcolm, and I follow. "Charybdis? Why her, isn't there another option?" She asks Malcolm.

He nods. "Yeah, there's Scylla. She lives in a cave, up on the cliffs. She has multiple snake heads that will come down and try to grab us from the ship." Malcolm informs us.

"Yeah, that's nice." I pipe in.

Malcolm rolls his eyes. "I've heard Charybdis is more dangerous, but if Scylla doesn't get any easy meat, she might just pluck the ship off the water and eat it whole, instead. All Charybdis does is sit at the center of the huge whirlwind, sucking in large amounts of water and spitting it back out. But on the bright side, Apollo gave us a strong enough ship for deep waters like this, that way we won't explode."

Bell smiles sarcastically with that news.

I have a feeling that we enter Charybdis's area of sea, because I can see her through a swirl of smoke, mist, and water, about a hundred yards away. I see a black crag of coral with a fig tree holding on to the top. All around it, water curves into a funnel, like a flashlight beam in the dark. I see an enormous mouth with slimy lips and mossy teeth the size of rowboats, anchored to the reef just below the waterline. What's even worse is the teeth have braces, corroded scummy metal with things from the sea stuck in between, like fish and driftwood. Nasty.

"Get a lifeboat out!" Malcolm yells. Bell immediately runs in fear and does as he said.

While I watch, the sea around Charybdis sucks into the void, poor schools of fish, sharks, an octopus, all going in. I can see that Malcolm is doing his best to steer the ship for us not die, and I help him while Bell grips on the ship's railing for her life.

"I was hoping I'd die on land!" Bell screams at us while we recklessly sail towards the mouth of Charybdis.

Suddenly, her mouth snaps shut. The sea goes calm as water washes over Charybdis.

Bad news: just as quickly as it closed, the mouth explodes open and ejects everything inedible, also spitting out a massive wall of water.

We are thrown backwards on a forty foot wave, spinning uncontrollably, hurtling toward the cliffs on the opposite side of the strait.

As quick as lightning, something brown and green shoots from the sky, snatches a barrel from the ship and lifts it away.

"It's Scylla!" Malcolm yells. "Quick, we need to get to the lifeboat or else we'll all die!" Isn't that subtle.

The three of us sprint to the lifeboat that Bell had set up. The waves of the ocean are massive, and I can tell that one might even be able to knock the ship. Malcolm and I get into the small boat for the best. Bell hops in, only then getting caught by Scylla. Instinctively, I grab her ankle and go a hundred feet in the air with her. I pull out a dagger and try to get whatever I can, jabbing Scylla in her beady yellow eye. She grunts and lets go of Bell, and the two of us fall.

A huge wave catches Bell and I in mid-air, and I see that another wave hits the ship and makes the lifeboat that Malcolm is in go into the water. Salt water rushes over me, makimg me go underwater, but I make myself swim upward. Another wave comes and carries me with it, but I parade in the lifeboat with Malcolm because of it. The two of us are soaking wet, and I look around for Bell, but I can't find her.

Malcolm and I call for Bell, looking at the sea frantically. Thankfully, I see her trying to swim towards us. I grab a paddle and Malcolm does the same, and we move closer and help Bell get up and onto the lifeboat with us. She sits down and has a coughing fit, while Malcolm and I finally paddle our way through Charybdis and Scylla, and into the Sea of Monsters.

We suddenly hear a loud _KERBOOM! _I look around and see the that ship my dad, Apollo, gave us is swallowed by Charybdis, then gets spit out into chunks. Something hard hits my head, making me go unconscious.


	11. Chapter 11

**Jake's POV**

I wake up, still in the lifeboat with Malcolm, my head resting on Bell's lap. I begin to sit up, but Bell stops me. "Stop, you need to rest," she tells me. "One of the boxes from the ship hit you unconscious."

I sit up, even if Bell said not to, and see that none of us are soaked anymore. I check what the three of us have in the lifeboat, seeing a few stacks of food and some clothes. "When did we get that?" I ask.

"Bell got some supplies while she was prepairing the lifeboat. It's gonna be really helpful. You've been knocked out for a few hours." Malcolm informs me.

Bell seems to be looking past my shoulder, squinting her eyes. "Is that land?"

Malcolm and I turn around to see what she is looking at, and I think it is land. The two of us grab a paddle and start making our way towards the island while Bell keeps staring ahead.

There seems to be a line of blue and green in the distance, a small mountain the center of the island. There are also ots of dazzling white buildings, a beach with palm trees here and there, and a harbor with a few other boats.

* * *

"Welcome!" says a lady with a clipboard.

She shakes each of our hands as we step onto the dock with a dazzling smile.

"Is this your first time with us?" the lady asks. The three of us say nothing in confusion.

"First-time-at-spa," the lady says as she writes on her clipboard. "Let's see . . ." She studies the three of us critically. "An herbal wrap to start with the young lady. And a complete makeover for the two young gentleman."

"Excuse me?" Bell asks.

"Right," the lady says, ignoring Bell's question. "Well, I am sure C.C. will want to speak with you personally before the luau. Come."

Bell and I watch Malcolm, who seems to be putting pieces together, tapping his chin and his eyebrows scrunched. "I think Annabeth told me about this," he mutters. "C.C. . . . CeeCee . . . Circe! This has to be Circe's island, she's a sorceress. But Annabeth said they released pirates that were being held captive then . . . I guess Circe finally got control, again. Oh, guys, this is bad."

"What are you three waiting for," the lady calls over her shoulder, already walking away. "Follow me!"

Malcolm sighs while Bell looks a bit wanderingly at the island. "I guess we have to play along until we're able to get out?" I ask them.

"Sure," Bell says. "Come on let's go!" She catches up with the lady and follows her. Malcolm and I exchange looks and follow Bell without another choice.

The place was amazing. There's white marble and blue water everywhere I looked. Fountains spray water into the air, forming incredible shapes that seem impossible, like galloping horses and flying eagles. Terraces climb up the side of the mountain, with swimming pools on every level, connected waterslides and waterfalls and underwater tubes you can swim through. Now this is a place I could get used to.

The three of us follow the lady, passing all kinds of tame animals. A sea turtle napping on a stack of beach towels, a leopard is stretched asleep on a diving board. The people here, only women as far as I can see, lounge in deck chairs, reading magazines or drinking fruit smoothies while some herbal stuff dry on their faces and people in white uniforms do their nails.

We head up a staircase to what seems like the main building. I hear a woman singing, but in an ancient language. Something older than Ancient Greek, though. I'd be able to tell if it were Greek, but it seems just as old. Somehow, I can tell that she's singing about the colors of the sunrise and moonlight in the olive groves, and magic. Definitely something about magic. Her voice seems to lift me off the stairs and carry me towards her.

We walk into a big room where the entire front wall is windows. The back wall is covered with mirrors, so the room seemed infinite, which I think is really cool. There's a ton of expensive looking white furniture, and a large wire pet cage placed on a table in one corner. The cage seems a bit out of place, but I don't dwell on it, because I see the lady who was singing and. . .

She sits at a huge loom, and weaves colored thread back and forth with extraordinary skill. The tapestry shimmers as if it's three dimensional, showing a waterfall scene so real that I can see the water moving and clouds drifting across a fabric sky.

Bell catches her breath in awe. "That's incredible."

The woman turned. She has long dark hair, braided with threads of gold. She has piercing green eyes and wears a silky black dress with shapes that seem to move in the fabric. I know other guys would say she's prettier than the magical fabric, but I just can't bring myself to it. I don't really know why, but I try to compare the lady to Bell, and I still don't think the lady is any more pretty than Bell. No, not pretty, that's not strong enough a word for Bell. Beautiful, radiant. Yeah, that sounds better.

"You appreciate my weaving, dear?" asks the lady.

"Oh, of course I do!" Bell says.

The lady just smiles and says, "Great taste, my dear. I'm glad you've come. My name is C.C."

The animals from the cage in the corner start hopping around. They're probably rabbits, by the looks of it.

The three of us introduce ourselves to C.C. but I noticed that Malcolm is quite reluctant. C.C. looks Malcolm and I up and down with a bit of disapproval. She looks at Bell and seems to have noticed the scar that drags from the corner of her lip, down, the one that monster gave her the night she came to Camp Half-blood. C.C. puts a finger on the scar and says, "Oh, I think we'll be able to fix that right up," she then turns to the lady that escorted us here and tells her, "Take Bell on a tour, will you? Show her what we have available. The clothing needs to change, and her hair. . . I'm sure I'll be able to make it look better than it is now. We shall do a full image consultation after I've spoken with the young gentlemen, as always."

Bell seems to be at a loss for words, a bit hurt, as if she needs to impress this lady. I don't know why though. Her mother's blessing is wearing off, but I don't notice if anything important changed.

"But . . . What about Jake and Malcolm?" Bell asks.

"Oh, most definitely," C.C. says, giving Malcolm and I a sad look. "They both require my personal attention. They both need _much_ more work than you, dear."

The rabbits hop around in the cage like they're hungry.

"I guess. . ." Bell says.

"Right this way, sweetie." the lady in the uniform says, leading Bell away.

Malcolm and I exchange looks. I don't know what he knows about this place, but I can tell it isn't good.

C.C. puts her hands on our backs and guides us toward the mirrored wall. "You see boys. . . To unlock your potential, you'll need serious help. The first step is admitting that you're not happy the way you are. I've said the exact words to another boy years ago, and he never listened."

I stare at myself in the mirror, completely forgetting about Malcolm for a moment. I'm actually pretty confident in my appearance. I don't really see why I should let C.C. give me a full makeover, yet there's a little twinge of doubt in me. "Well, ma'am," I begin. "I think I'm probably-"

C.C. snaps her fingers, interrupting me, and a bright curtain rolls down over the mirror, shimmering like the fabric on her loom.

"What do you boys see?" she asks.

I look at the curtain, confused. I don't speak, but then the cloth changes colors. I see myself, a reflection, yet not a reflection. I don't think about Malcolm, who is still standing next to me, but at what's in front of me instead.

Shimmering on the cloth is a better version of me. Not much has really changed-I have a clear face, and I'm as tall as I really am. What I see in my eyes is what I study the most, where the only difference is. There's a look of hope in the dark blue eyes of mine, and a confident smile being played on my face.

I can't manage anything to say, only gasp with surprise.

"Is that what you want," C.C. asks me. "Or should I try a different-"

"No," I say. "That's amazing. Are you really able-"

Malcolm interrupts me. "Actually, I think we should get going, ma'am."

C.C. slightly raises her eyebrows at the two of us. "Really? Well, you two should drink this, at least." She steps over to a wet bar and fills two glasses with water, then fills them each with a drink-mix that has red powder. It begins to glow, but looks like a regular strawberry milkshake when it fades.

C.C. smiles and hands both Malcolm and I a glass. I lift it to my mouth, but Malcolm yells, "Jake, don't!"

I don't understand what's wrong. The drink tastes like a strawberry milkshake, just as it looks. Almost immediately, a warm feeling courses through my gut: pleasant at first, then painful, searing, as if the mixture is boiling inside me.

I double over and drop the glass, shattering with its remains. I look at Malcolm, who seems to have splashed the stuff in his cup at C.C.'s face. They basically wrestle with other, but C.C. seems calm.

"Stop it, you rodent!" she says at him. Malcolm seems to have his eyes glaze over a bit, but only for a second, and continues wrestling.

I look at the mirror, the curtain dropping away, and I see my hands shrinking, growing snow white fur. More fur sprouts on my face, under my shirt, everywhere. My two front teeth feel heavier in my mouth. Either C.C. is getting taller, or I'm shrinking. In an insant, I seem to sink into a cavern of my clothes, now way too large.

"What did you do to Jake?" I hear Malcolm yell. I'm able to hop out, and I see that Malcolm is still fighting with C.C., or Circe the sorceress, as Malcolm said earlier. I try to scream for Bell to come, but all that comes out of me is a silent scream. I look at my hands, which are now paws, and I finally know what happened to me. I look at myself in the mirror, but it isn't really me, only a rabbit. A rabbit stares back at me.

"Bell," Malcolm yells. "Bell!"

Circe snaps her fingers and a chair appears, and she makes Malcolm sit down on it, magically tying him. "Quiet, you little scum!" she yells at him. Malcolm struggles, but he can't get out of the chair.

I watch as Circe walks towards me and picks me up, my fuzzy body fitting in the palms of her hands. She quickly places me into the cage placed in the corner of the room, where the other rabbits are. They all make a small circle around me creepily.

"Perfect, another bunny!" Circe exclaims.

"Let us go!" Malcolm yells at her.

"Oh no, boy," she says, pacing across the large room, and wiping of the liquid from her face. "You see, I've been helping men turn into their true selves: _pigs_. They were real pigs at first, but we realized they were too messy to handle. We later transformed the men into guinea pigs, much easier. Than those two wretched demigods, Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase, showed up and ruin everything! We were held captive by those idiotic pirates for a while. I even lost most of my students! I was actually very fond of Hylla and her younger sister, but those two half-bloods like you messed with this paradise!"

I make more rabbit screams from the cage while I watch helplessly as Circe makes another mixture of that stuff that turned me into a rabbit.

"Now," Circe says calmly while walking up to Malcolm, who is still stuck to the chair, with the cup in her hand. "I believe it is time to let you be with your friend-"

Bell's voice innocently calls right out of the room, "Ms. C.C.?"

She curses in Ancient Greek and quickly places the glass onto a table, and waves her hand, making Malcolm get covered with a large tapestry. I know where he is, but the large cloth doesn't look like a body is underneath, which is weird. I watch as she hurriedly kick my clothes under a loom right as Bell walks in.

I only recognize Bell because she was dressed similairly when she got claimed at camp. She's wearing a silky white sleeveless dress, just as I saw other women wearing outside. Her hair seems newly washed and combed and braided with threads of gold, and she even has makeup on. She looks as stunning as when she got claimed, but I can tell we both know the same thing: it's just not like her.

Bell looks around the room and frowns and asks, "Where's Jake and Malcolm?"

I try to yell, but there's only high-pitched rabbit noises. Thankfully, Malcolm is able to make some noise. "Bell! Bell!" he yells from under the tapestry.

The second Circe turns around to magically put something over Malcolm's mouth, I see Bell put the heart from the necklace between her fingers and watch as it transforms to her bow and arrows. She swiftly readies her bow, and aims it at Circe. Once the freak sorceress turns back around, an arrow is pointed at her chest.

"Where are my friends?" Bell growls.

Circe just smirks. "Relax, Bell. You can become whatever you wish, if you stay with me. You can be-"

Bell puts a fiercer look on her face. "What did you do to them?"

Circe gives a slight laugh. "Fine. If you wish to play it that way. . ."

She waves her hand, and Bell is suddenly thrust into a mirror, making it break and pieces fall around her as she screams. Luckily, I don't see anything harm her. Bell slowly stands back up, quickly readies a different arrow, and shoots it at Circe. The woman waves her hand again, and the arrow ricochets by an invisible force, now flying straight a Bell. She quickly dives to the floor, and rolls towards the cage I am in, unknowingly.

Bell makes a quick glance at the cage, and it's like I see the gears turning in her head.

I watch as Circe is about to cast a spell on Bell, but Bell drops her bow and puts her hands up. "No, wait! I actually want confirm. . . You said something about becoming whatever I want?"

No! Bell can't do that!

Circe puts her hand down and nods, walking up to Bell. "Yes, Bellanca. You see, I am a sorceress, and you have the makings of one, too."

"A _sorceress_?" Bell asks, but I can't tell what her expression is. Mesmerized? Confused? She plays her fingers across the strap of her quiver, turning the weapon into her necklace again, and looks at Circe with a twinge of wonder.

"Yes dear," Circe replies. She holds up her hand, and a small flame appears and plays across her fingertips. "My mother is Hecate, the goddess of magic. I see you are a daughter of Aphrodite, but I noticed that we are not that different. We both seek knowledge and admire greatness. If you stay with me, you will learn how to bend others at your will, become a sorceress."

I'm able to hear Bell mumble to herself, "Island. . . Sorceress. . . C.C. . . . Your Circe!"

The woman nods. "You seem to be very intelligent, too, my dear. You can become somebody great, other than to trust that silly camp for heroes."

Bell sighs. "Can I say goodbye to my two friends, at least?" She has a dreamy expression on her face, and I realize, she might actually stay here, and not at Camp Half-blood with Malcolm and I.

"Well, I guess you won't be able to escape like that other girl. . ." Circe murmurs to herself. "Of course, my dear. Oh, and so you have privacy. . ." She waves her hand and iron bars slam down and over the windows. She walks out of the room and I hear the locks click shut.

The dreamy look is immediately wiped off Bell's face, but not completely.

"Malcolm?" Bell asks the room. I hear muffling from under the tapestry where Malcolm is hidden, and Bell seems to hear it, too. She runs over to the tapestry and flings it over, seeing her friend tied to the chair. Bell finds somewhere she can untie him, and kneels behind the chair, her hands at work. "Thank gods she forgot about you, Malcolm!" After one more minute, Malcolm is free and they both run over to the cage that I'm in.

"Which rabbit do you think he is?" Malcolm asks, staring at all of us intently. I make as much sound as possible, for a rabbit, but the other rabbits are doing the same thing.

Bell stares at each of us for a second, then she sees me and picks me up. She lifts me up, high enough for us to be face to face, and she slowly nods her head. "This one," she tells Malcolm. "This one's Jake."

Malcolm looks at Bell as if she's a maniac. "How can you be so sure? There's dozens of them!"

Bell looks at him fiercely. "I just can, okay! Now hurry and look for a potion or whatever to turn him back to a human."

Malcolm sighs and runs over to some cabinets, searching through them frantically. Bell runs towards Malcolm with me still in her delicate hands. "Hurry up! She'll be back any second now!"

After a few more seconds of rummaging, Malcolm holds up a small, liquid medicine bottle and quickly reads it. "Here!"

Bell places me on the floor and says, "You better be sure about this Malcolm." She opens the bottle and forces some of the liquid into my mouth. "Sorry, Jake, but this might taste like that nasty grape medicine everybody seems to hate."

Who cares about the flavor? I need to be _human_ again!

Suddenly, Circe barges into the room with an attendant.

"Oh," she says to us. "How rapid a minute can be! Well, what do we have here?" Circe calmly looks at Malcolm, who quickly draws his sword.

I suddenly feel fiery inside. I look around and watch as the room becomes smaller, more human-sized. Thank goodness I wasn't in the cage while I drank that liquid, or else it would've exploded. I look around and I'm sitting on the floor, in my clothes, thankfully, and immediately stand up and draw my sword. I have to say, Bell was right. That medicine did taste nasty.

Bell lets her necklace turn to her weapon, and aims an arrow at Circe. She daringly walks towards the sorceress, who seems to be a bit fearful now.

"Let us go," Bell tells her, the tip of the arrow at her throat. "And nobody will get hurt."

Circe smiles. "Oh, little demigod. You will not be leaving so easily." She snaps her fingers. The attendant that came with Circe puts Bell into a locked position with the speed of light, a dagger at her throat, none of us expecting it.

"Such a shame," Circe says, slowly beginning to walk around the room. "You could have been a great sorceress, Bell, but you traded it with these two pigs of yours!"

Malcolm and I exchange a look, and he slightly nods. I face Circe, who has her back turned on me, and I grab her arm back and bend her wrist forward, making the woman fall to her knees in pain. I turn around, still bending her wrist, and see that Malcolm was successful in getting Bell free from the attendant lady.

"Come on, we have to hurry!" I call over to the two

"Right," she says. "Just hold on!" I watch as she runs back to the medicine she gave me to turn back into a human, and pours the remains in the corner of the cage with the rest of the rabbit/men.

"What are you doing," Circe shouts at Bell. "You fool! We'll all be killed, most of them are pirates that were not able to escape the last time, none of us will stand a chance!"

I push Circe closer to the cage as multiple men come back. Malcolm lets the attendant-lady go, and Bell, Malcolm, and I all sprint out of the building.

"I think I saw a some ships over there!" I belt at the other two, pointing to the dock where the ships are. We all go to a random one, which so happens to be a yacht, right after we gather all the supplies from the lifeboat. I mean, we need this stuff, but a yacht seems way cooler than a small boat that holds three people. We all get ready and sail into the ocean before anything else happens.

I stare back at Circe's Island with Bell at the railing, while Malcolm steers the ship, like before, and we sail back into the Sea of Monsters.

Bell and I watch everything go in havoc on the island until it passes over the horizon, now only a dot in the distance.

"You know," Bell mumbled, breaking the silence. "You made a pretty cute bunny, for somebody that actually got tricked into turning into one."

I smirk at her. "How did you know it was me, anyways? Half of the ones in the cage looked exactly like me." I tell her.

She shrugs. "I just had that feeling, you know? I guess that's what you could say, if it helps you sleep at night. I'm gonna go look for somewhere to sleep, alright? It's been quite some day." With that, Bell gives me a warm hug and walks inside.

I venture the yacht, looking for Malcolm. "Hey, let me steer for a while." I tell him.

He looks at me behind his shoulder and says, "No, it's okay."

I roll my eyes. "Come on," I insisted. "We've all had a long day, but yours could be the longest, Malcolm. Sailing ships all day, getting attacked by insane monsters, getting tied to a chair on a paradise-island."

Malcolm sighs and signals for me to take the wheel, if that's what they call it.

"So," he says, sitting down. "What was it like as a rabbit?"

I shake my head jokingly. "Oh, you know. A little small, a little gloomy, and, hey, full of trapped pirate-people. I also had a sudden hunger for carrots and lettuce."

Malcolm laughs at ease. "Shut up, man. I hope you know how Bell even knew which one was you, because I couldn't tell myself."

I shrug. "She told me it was a gut-type of feeling, you know? That's all she really said."

He laughs again, shaking his head. "You're so oblivious, Jake. I have a theory that Aphrodite kids can tell if someone has strong feelings, sort of like a love connection. All Bell had to do was look at the lot of bunnies, and she saw, no _felt_ you out of all them."

"So what?"

He rolls his eyes. "Just go to sleep or something," he tells me, standing up and grabbing the wheel for the boat. "Come on, we're still not done with the Sea of Monsters."


	12. Chapter 12

**Bell's POV**

I stand at the railing of the yacht, watching the horizon. It's the middle of the night, but I decided to stay up. Malcolm is still steering the boat, and he won't let me take his place so he can rest. I asked a few hours ago, and all he did was tell me to go back to sleep. I'm pretty sure he thinks I'm sleeping right now, but here I am, outside and awake. I believe Jake immediately crashed in after half an hour or so when we got into this boat. I can't believe him, he was just turned into a bunny, and he decides to sleep it off.

I've been watching the water for a while, seeing tons of monsters in the sea, like a huge serpent-like monster as long as a skyscraper, as far as I could see. I saw some Nereids a few minutes ago, but I don't think they noticed me.

Feeling guilty for Malcolm, I walk up from behind him, who is still at the helm. I have a large, dark blanket draped over my shoulders, and Malcolm is just standing there in the cold.

"Hey." I say, surprising him.

He turns his head to look at me. "What are you still doing up," he asks. "Go back to sleep, Bell."

I roll my eyes, still clutching the blanket. "And do you really think I'll listen to you, Malcolm?"

I know that he knows the answer to this, and he knows that I know. "Fine." he replies stubbornly.

"Move out of the way," I command. "It's my turn to move the big yacht around." I push Malcolm aside from the helm, and grab the wheel myself.

"Do you even know what you're doing?" Malcolm asks, crossing his arms.

I shake my head. "Not a clue."

Malcolm walks a bit closer to me, and it's hard for me to see what's ahead since the sky is so dark. "Two notches left, Bell."

I scrunch my eyebrows. "What's a notch?"

Malcolm gives me a quick, but detailed, explanation of what notches are. "Gee," I say. "What would we do without an Athena kid on board?"

"Probably die." Malcolm replies.

I punch him in the arm, grinning. "Shut up," I say. I hold my warm blanket up in one hand, and the other on the helm. "I wonder what would happen if-"

"Don't you even think about it." Malcolm jumps, immediately putting one of his hands on the helm to keep me from spinning it as if we're on a game show.

"Oh _please_, Malcolm," I say to him, rolling my eyes. "Go to sleep, you'll need it."

He keeps his hand on the helm, steading it while my hand shakes. I don't worry about it shaking, though. My hands do that everytime I'm concentrating on something. Or whenever I'm absolutely terrified. But usually concentrating.

"I don't need to go to sleep." Malcolm tries to convince me.

"Yes, you do," I tell him. "Just because you're half-god doesn't mean you can shrug off the mortal side of you. Humans need sleep, Malcolm, and last I checked, you are pretty human to me."

Before he can say anything, I throw the blanket that was draped over me at Malcolm's face, making my bare arms get goosebumps from the night air. Even if my clothes are warm, it doesn't stop from me shivering.

"Bell, I'm not going to sleep." Malcolm tells me, but he still drapes the blanket over his shoulders and stands.

"You could get sleep deprivation." I say.

Malcolm quickly replies back. "Like you?"

I glare at him, making sure he gets the message that that subject is closed.

"You know," he continues, sitting down. "I did some research on names, like yours, and I saw that it means 'stronghold.'"

I raise my eyebrows. "Oh really? And does that fit my personality?"

He nods his head. "Yes, actually. I believe it also said that you are 'endowed with the wonderful characteristic of multi-talents and versatility.' I think it's interesting how most peoples' names fit themselves, especially yours."

"Oh really," I ask him. "And did you research what your name means?"

Malcolm nods. "Apparently I 'have a deep inner need for quiet, and a desire to understand and analyze the world they live in, and to learn the deeper truths.'"

"And is that true?"

He shrugs. "I think so, but what do you think, Bell?"

I think for a minute, then nod. "Yes actually. But don't you think it's a little weird how our names fit us so . . . accurately?"

He rubs the back of his neck then replies, "I think it's what the Fates have planned that makes us like that. But I could be wrong."

I nod. "I guess. . ."

Malcolm stands up and looks ahead. "Four notches left, Bell."

"Oh . . . uh, right," I turn the helm. "So, can I ask what Circe did to turn guys into rabbits?"

He shrugs, fixing the blanket to stay above his shoulders. "She put this magical drink mix into a glass of water and convinced Jake to drink it. I suppose that might be what happened to the pirates, too. I remember Annabeth told me at camp that she and Percy went there, but Percy got turned into a guinea pig instead of a rabbit."

I think about Percy as a guinea pig and laugh. My stomach grumbles hungrily. "Hey Malcolm, do you think we saved the candy from the ship Apollo gave us?"

He rolls his eyes. "Yes, I think you saved the candy. There's also some nectar and ambrosia, for important purposes. But you _should_ be eating an actual meal."

I ignore that last sentence and raise my eyebrows, expecting Malcolm to grab the helm while I get some candy. He takes my place and hands me the blanket, and I drape it over my shoulders.

I walk around the boat, looking for food, and bump into some walls on the way. "Ow. . . Ow." After about ten minutes of rummaging through just about everything, I finally find the candy. It's sitting next to a small stack of nectar and ambrosia squares. I decide to grab an extra handful and stuff them into my pockets, for Malcolm.

Turning too fast, I accidently hit my forehead on a wall. "Ow!" I rub my head, still clutching a part of the blanket and catch a whiff of Malcolm's scent, old books and lemongrass.

I head back on deck, sneaking behind him. From not far, I toss some candy at the back of his head. I pop a piece into my mouth as he rubs his head and turns around to look at me. I put on my innocent face and hold out some candy as he takes it reluctantly.

"Like I said, you should be eating an actual meal." he tells me.

"So do you know any place where I can get a steak, medium-well, along with a cup of soda and bread as an appetizer?" I ask sarcastically.

"Shut up."

I look ahead, seeing extremely sharp rocks. "Malcolm, turn the boat." I tell him.

He looks at me, but I can't coin what his eyes are saying.

"That's the point, Bell. I want to ask you a favor, and it has something to do with the Sirens."


	13. Chapter 13

"You can't expect me to actually do this!" I tell Malcolm.

"Bell, please, it's my only chance! We're near the Sirens already!" Malcolm says.

We're still at the helm, and I see the sky slowly getting illuminated by the sun, meaning it's early morning. Malcolm says he wants to hear the music of the Sirens to become wiser. After all, he is a son of Athena. Yet I'm thinking against it. He said I should tie him up, that way, he won't be able to swim to the Sirens. I've read the stories, which says they were three to five former handmaidens of Persephone, but her mother, Demeter, gave them bodies of birds after Persephone was abducted by Hades. I'm not exactly sure which story is right, because there's also one that says nothing about them turning to birds.

"They say the Sirens sing the truth about what you desire," Malcolm explains. "They tell you things about yourself that you didn't even realize. It's . . . enchanting, you'll be wiser if you survive. And it's not like you come across their island everyday."

I raise my eyebrows. "And why would you believe that I won't want to hear them myself?" I ask.

"Because I know you, Bell. You wouldn't want to because you don't really care. I can see it in your eyes, and the way you talk about anything similar."

Malcolm told me that I'll plug my ears with wax or something, but he won't, which lets him hear the song. Thinking about it, I guess it'll be okay if I do so, as long as I tie him really well. Plus, it does make sense about wanting to become wiser, since his mother is Athena.

I sigh. "Fine, but if I die, it's your fault."

He rolls his eyes. "Whatever, and vice-versa on the dying thing. Did you tell Jake to plug his ears?"

I nod. "Yeah, but I didn't mention the whole tying-you-up-along-with-your-life thing. It's better if he doesn't realize what's going on."

Malcolm hands me a thick rope, and I firmly attach it to the boat, then to a chair. He sits on the chair, and I wrap the rope around his arms and stomach, along with his feet. I remember reading about Odysseus doing the same thing with him and his sailors. I guess this would be legitimate enough.

"You ready?" I ask.

He nods. "Put the wax in your ears now."

Before I do so, I give him a firm hug. "In case either of us die." I tell him.

"Thanks, by the way. Honestly, you've been a really good friend, and not just because of this, Bell." Malcolm tells me right before I put the wax in my ears. I snap my fingers, just to make sure I can't hear anything.

I stand at the wheel nervously, looking at an eerie vastness of water with the island straight ahead.

The rocky coast line of the island of the Sirens come to view. I check Malcolm one more time, and see that he wants to tell me something.

"No matter what happens, how much I plead, or how miserable I might look, do not let me go. They'll make me want to go straight to the edge and have me drown. Okay?"

I nod reluctantly. "Okay."

I secure all the knots one last time. "Bell," he asks. "You better plug your ears now. And be careful."

I quickly fashion the candle wax into earplugs and stuff them back in my ears. The silence made things a bit creepier, not being able to hear anything but the rush of blood in my head and all. I sure hope Jake is doing good. As we sail closer to the island, jagged rocks show out of the mist. I nervously have the boat skirt around them.

Reluctantly, I look back at Malcolm, who still seems as calm as before. He suddenly looks confused, then his eyes widen.

I watch as he fights the ropes, which are still holding him back, thankfully. I can tell that he's calling my name, just by reading his lips. His expression is saying that he needs to get out, that this is a matter of life or death. That I absolutely have to get him out of the ropes right now. Just watching Malcolm like that, a sixteen year-old guy, looking so pained and desperate, it made me feel horrible for tying him up.

I shake the thought away, and face what's ahead instead of looking at back at him. I still can't see much of the island. Mostly thick fog and jagged rocks are visible, and driftwood and fiber glass, the remains of old ships, even a few lifejackets are floating in the water.

How can music cause so many people, so many lives, to go off course? What's so great about killing innocent souls who were just listening to some song, only to get eaten by monsters the next second? For a small moment, I understand Malcolm's curiosity. I want to unplug my ears so badly, just out of temptation of what I might hear.

But I know better than to give in, and keep my ears stuffed with the candle wax.

I'm able to not look at him for at least ten minutes, only letting our boat dodge the large rocks. I keep reminding myself that I should look back at Malcolm, but it feels weird, in a way. Like I could be intruding on something personal, I guess.

Finally giving in a bit, I turn back around to check on Malcolm but I noticed something: _He isn't there._

* * *

I think of the worst, but hope for the best. I rapidly check every inch of the boat and make sure Jake doesn't notice me, but I can't find Malcolm.

I can't find Malcolm.

_I cannot find Malcolm._

I run back to where the loose rope is and stand beside the railing. "Malcolm!" I yell at the sea, still keeping my ears plugged with the candle wax. "Malcolm, I swear if you even think about dying on me, you will not live to hear the end of it!" I pace the deck frantically, staring pass the water. I think of all the terrible things that could happen, tears silently streaming down my face. I am the most stupid person in the world. I forgot to take Malcolm's dagger, which I learned that he keeps with him everywhere he goes.

Then I see it. I finally see him. He's swimming towards the shore of the island, and I don't think, but only dive in the water and out of the yacht.

I swim as fast as I can after him, but it's hard since he got a head start.

"Malcolm!" I yell above the water. "Malcolm!" It seems that he either can't hear me, or is ignoring me.

He is halfway to the shore, and I need to catch up or else he could die. Salt water rushes over me, but I keep swimming. I need to keep swimming.

As I get closer to the island of the Sirens, I actually see them. A few ladies sitting on some rocks, but they're not. They look like human-sized vultures, with gray talons and pink, wrinkled necks. They're human heads change to people I know: my dad, my step-brother, Chiron, Percy, all that seems to be singing and smiling reassuringly at me. Their faces keep changing, but their moving mouths stay the same. They're greasy and caked with remnants of their old meals. Thankfully, I guess, I can't hear them, since the candle wax is still in my ears.

Malcolm is halfway to the shore now, and I try pick up the pace, even if it wasn't fast enough already.

"Malcolm!" I scream as loud as I can, but he doesn't turn around. I get my entire body being rushed over by the sea, but only for a few seconds.

"Malcolm, come back here right now!" I yell, my throat scratchy.

I regret everything.

I suddenly see Malcolm get covered by the water, and he doesn't come back up. I dive underwater with my eyes stinging. I swim deeper and find him, far away and deep down. I dive deeper, trying to get as close to him as I can. From afar, I notice that he seems confused, and is struggling to get back up. He seems to be yelling bubbles, trying to get back afloat, and I realize something: sound doesn't travel well in water.

I keep diving deeper, refusing to let my eyes leave Malcolm. I need to get him out of here. Suddenly, he stops struggling, and his lifeless body begins to float up. My head bobs out of the sea, and I gasp for air. I look in front of me and see Malcolm is still close to shore, and still far from me.

I swim as fast as I can, determined to get his body back, at least. Then the worst happens: the Sirens drop down on him, their talons digging deep into his skin as he makes it on shore. I look at his face, which I would think would have an agonizing pain, as if he never really realized that he was swimming to his death the entire time, but there's no expression at all. Nothing

"Malcolm!" I scream over and over again, swimming towards him. I bob around in the uncontrollable water, and something hits my head hard. The last thing I see is the water rushing over, bringing me to darkness as I fall under, unconscious.


	14. Chapter 14

**Jake's POV**

I was inside the yacht, doing absolutely nothing since Bell told me that we were getting near the island of the Sirens. She informed me to put some candle wax in my ears for earplugs, and I did so. I know what the Sirens have done and can still do, Bell knows, Malcolm knew.

I stayed below deck for a while, but then I got this little feeling that something was wrong. When I walked out, the first thing I see is Bell diving into the water and Malcolm nowhere in sight. My first instinct was to go after Bell, and so I did. I yelled her name from behind, but she couldn't hear me with the candle wax still in her ears.

I was swimming after her, then saw a large piece of wood from an old, wrecked ship hit her head. She began to sink down, underwater, and I saw what her head was blocking from my view: Malcolm on the shore of the island of the Sirens, getting clawed at by the monsters themselves.

I had dove deeper into the water, and easily found Bell, but her eyes were closed.

What's happening right now? I'm dragging Bell's lifeless body and swimming towards our boat, which is more difficult than I thought. There are tears drying up from my eyes, since I basically watched one of my best friends get eaten by pure evil monsters.

The sky is now bright blue, the sun shining as if nothing ever happened. As if my best friend didn't die.

But I can't think about that now, I have to help Bell. I bring her body above the water and into the boat, dragging myself up. I rapidly steer the boat out of the Sirens' area and run back to Bell, who is still lifeless on the floorboard. I take out both of our earplugs and kneel next to her.

"Bell?" I ask, having her lie on her back, both of us still soaking wet. "Bell?" I put two fingers on her neck, looking for her pulse, kneeling next to her.

She must have swallowed some water, or something. I check to see if she is breathing, and I lift her chin up. I quickly look up at the sky. I tap her shoulder, but there's no response. I then put my head closer to hers, take a deep breath, and give her mouth-to-mouth, and see her chest beginning to rise and fall. I stop and check her pulse again.

Slowly, her eyes flutter open, and she sits up. "Oh gods, Bell!" I say happily, hugging her. "Bell, I thought you were dead!"

She hugs me back. "Uh, what happened again? Why would I be dead?" Where's Malc- oh." I look down and let her remember what happened a few moments ago.

I lift my head to see her again, and as she realizes what happened, her eyes filling with tears. "Oh gods," she mumbles, covering her mouth with her hands. "I could've stopped him . . . Malcolm would still be alive, Jake!"

She put her knees to her chest and begins to sob. I bring her closer to me and hug her. "Jake," she says in between sobs. "I could've stopped him- I could've-"

"No, Bell," I interrupt. "The Fates decided it, there was no way we could have prevented it."

She looks up at me with red eyes. "And how would we know that for sure, Jake? I can't have another life on my hands. Not another one! Not like my step-mom's, or my step-brother's, or-"

"Bell! You have to stop blaming yourself for stuff like that. It won't help."

She's shaking, but I keep talking, putting both my hands on her shoulders and force myself not to let any tears stream down at the sight of her breaking down.

"Bell," I say, my voice cracking in weariness. "Bell, listen. You and me? We're all that's left. So if we're gonna see this through, we're gonna do it together. Okay?"

I keep my hands on her shoulders and watch as she wipes the last of her tears, and puts on a look of courage. "Okay."

* * *

It's been about half an hour, and I've made sure to keep Bell in my sight. I'm at the helm, Bell pacing around nervously, then something shimmers in front of us.

It's an Iris-message. I look into the rainbow and see Nico, Chiron, Percy, and Annabeth, all who are in what seems to be Percy's cabin. "Bell?" Nico asks.

"Nico?" I ask. "What are all of you doing? Chiron, I thought you said nobody else would know."

The centaur nods. "It's okay Jake. We just thought-"

Percy steps in front of everybody and interrupts, saying, "Nico said he sensed that someone died. Is it true?" I look at Bell, who purses her lips and closes her eyes for a second, then replies, "I'm really sorry, Annabeth, everyone really, but. . . Malcolm."

All of us stay quiet to let that one name sink in.

I look at the rainbow, watching as Annabeth pulls herself together. "I'll start working on the burial shroud." she tells Chiron, her voice cracking, and walks out of the cabin. Percy is about to head out the door, too, but Chiron blocks him. "Let her grieve in peace, Percy, for the best."

Percy takes small paces in front of Chiron, then reluctantly mutters, "I guess . . ."

Nico looks at Bell and I. "Do you think you can tell us what happened?"

I nod as Bell stops pacing. "I'm going to get some water, okay?" She walks away.

I look back at the rainbow, facing the rest of the three. "Honestly, I don't really know what happened," I begin. "Bell told me we were getting closer to the island of the Sirens, and said that I should plug my ears with candle wax. I thought it seemed like a good plan, since Odysseus did the same thing. I stayed below deck for a while, but I felt like something happened. I walked outside, and came just to see Bell dive in the water, and Malcolm wasn't on the boat. I dove into the sea after Bell and swam after her, then after a few minutes in the water, she got knocked out." I decide to not say anything about her diving deeper into the water for Malcolm, and continue. "Right before I dove in for Bell, I saw that Malcolm got brought to the shore of the island. I saw the Sirens attack him, but he was already dead from drowning, and well. . . I'd rather not go into full detail."

All of us sigh. "How's Bell taking it?" Percy asks.

I shrug. "Not very well, she's blaming herself."

Chiron paces a bit with his hooves. "Have her calm down a bit, okay Jake? You two must keep going, you still need to save those half-bloods."

"Yeah, I know," I reply. "But I just wish that there was something other than Malcolm-"

"No, Jake. Like you said, we couldn't have stopped it. Just like the prophecy said." Bell comes, interrupting.

I scrunch my eyebrows. "What do you mean 'just like the prophecy said?'"

She comes beside me. "Remember? '_One shall be lost whilst down afloat_,' and Malcolm," she chokes down a sob. "H-he drowned, right before the Sirens got to him."

We all stay silent. "Well," Chiron pipes up. "I'm sorry to say, but you must go now. Bell, Jake, continue the quest, and be brave. I believe Polyphemus's island is different since Percy, Annabeth, and the others went, now that the golden fleece is gone."

Bell and I look at the rainbow one more time. "Okay," Bell says. "Thanks Chiron."

Nico gives us a small smile while Percy waves goodbye, and Chiron nods his head right before he waves his hand over the rainbow, ending the Iris-message.

* * *

A few hours have passed since the Iris-message, and I tried to convince Bell that I could steer the boat again, but she would push me away from the helm until I left her alone.

I think over the conversation Malcolm and I had with my dad, Apollo. I remember that he basically warned Malcolm about this, that knowledge isn't everything, but neither of us caught on. I also remember that Apollo told us that when Bell's dad died, she chose not to let it catch on with her reality, and that's exactly what she's doing with Malcolm's death right now. I noticed that she's putting on a brave and courageous face, for her own sake, and I've decided that I need to let her know it'll be alright.

I noticed that every time something reminds her of Malcolm, she pauses and her eyes glaze over for only a fraction of a second, then shakes it off. She's pushing away her reality, and I don't think that'll do well.

"Hey Bell," I ask from behind her. Still steering the ship, she turns her head to look at me. Her eyes aren't puffy, which is good. "Want some candy?" I hold out my hand, which is filled with various sweets. Instead of taking one, her eyebrows scrunch and she puts one hand in her pocket, taking sopping wet candy out.

"I think I stuffed some in my pocket before I went in the water." she tells me. Bell quickly throws the candy out.

She looks up at me with her glistening eyes, and they warm me up like a cup of hot chocolate. I'm a sucker that way.

"Hey, Jake," Bell starts. "I was thinking: how did you get to Camp Half-blood in the first place?" I take a small gulp. "I mean," she continues. "Just as a little conversation, you know? To keep our time filled while we head to Polyphemus's island."

I shrug. "I don't think you really want to know, Bell." I tell her.

Her head droops down an inch. "Okay, I'll respect your privacy. I won't Charmspeak you or anything." She turns her head away, facing the brightly lit sea.

The words coming out of her mouth make me feel guilty. I remember when Apollo basically told Malcolm and I Bell's life story, and she doesn't even know. And here I am, not letting her know how I got to Camp Half-blood. Should I just tell her right now? It might be a good time. . .

I'm about to say something, but I notice a splotch of land up ahead. It's a saddle-shaped island with with weary, forested hills, white beaches, and sagging green meadows. It's like what Percy told me back at Camp, but sadder than what he described.

"What's that?" Bell asks, looking ahead.

I take a deep breath. "The land of the Cyclops," I tell her. "It's where we'll find those three half-bloods, like Chiron said."


	15. Chapter 15

**Bell's POV**

As I steer the yacht towards our death-I mean, towards the home of the Cyclops-I study the details of the island. Jake told me that Percy explained to him that it basically looked like a "Caribbean postcard," but that's not what it seems right now.

Everything in nature appears sad; tropical trees losing their color and drooping down a bit, beaches glum and dark, weeping meadows that are no longer bright green, but a much darker shade.

We sail towards the shore, and I take a slow breath. I don't know what I'm expecting: a sweet, damp atmosphere, but no. It doesn't smell like much, only a bit like a farm, and that's it. I see a worn rope bridge hanging over a dark chasm, and it's an obvious sign that something bad is lurking here. In the meadow at the base of a ravine, dozens of massive, hippo-sizednsheep are grazing around. Past them is a path leading up into the hills, and at the top of the path, near the edge of a canyon, is a huge oak tree, but it looks worn, as if it's about to die, yet still trying to fight for it's life. Craggy rocks appear close by the shoee.

"So," I say to Jake. "Where do you think we'll find the three half-bloods?"

He shrugs. "Probably some creepy area. Percy said Polyphemus, the cyclops, lives in a cave, just like it said in one of Odysseus's adventures."

I raise my eyebrows and purse my lips. "Sounds like paradise."

Jake and I take everything we need before we get off the yacht and into a lifeboat: the rest of the nectar and ambrosia, extra food, some bandages, extra clothes for the other demigods, and our weapons.

"You ready?" Jake asks, a faint smile playing on his lips.

I take a deep breath and shake my head. "Not one bit. Let's go."

He takes a breathy laugh as the two of us hop into the lifeboat and steer towards the dim sand. As we row, I watch as the large sheep graze peacefully. I watch a deer hop out of nowhere and into a small clearing of land. Jake and I watch as the sheep blea and rush to the deer, surrounding it in a sea of wool and trampling hooves. Tufts of fur and dead grass fly into the air.

Seconds later, all the sheep move away and carry on with their grazing. Where the deer was, a pile of clean white bones lay in a heap. The two of us stay still, no longer rowing, our eyes widened and mouths hanging slightly agape.

Finding my voice, I say, "That is just wrong on so many levels."

Jake gives a slight nod in agreement.

After a few minutes of talking it over, the two of us decided there is no way we can get past the carnivorous sheep alive. Jake offered the idea of him killing every one of them with a bow and tons of arrows, but I convinced him that something bad could happen. Obviously.

Either way, we were sent here to find those three half-bloods, not to murder any man-eating, grass grazing sheep. It would take way too long to do both.

After paddling our way around the island, I finally found somewhere to get to without dying (while Jake kept muttering to himself about other ways for him to kill the sheep): The back side of the island where cliffs rose over about two hundred feet. Jake said it was a good idea, yet I still tried to _not_ go there. I'm deathly afraid of heights (I even hyperventilate while on escalators), and I attempted to Charmspeak my way out, but my voice kept cracking in fear to convince the guy anything.

I didn't put much thought into it, but Jake said the cliffs seemed to be able to climb. We row the lifeboat to the edge of the rocks and begin to make our way up, me going first because as Jake said, "I'll be able to know wether you fell to your death or not, instead of being one of those loser guys who go up first and when they look back down, the girl's body is already flattened out on the-"

"Okay, Jake," I interrupted him. "No need to explain any further."

Reluctantly, I keep climbing while taking fast breaths. I pause and tigthen my grip on the rocks, refusing to look down, I call below, "Jake? Are you flattened on the ground yet?"

"No, not yet, Bell," he yells back. "Keep climbing, I think we're almost there."

The two of us continue to climb, close to falling to our deaths a bit less than ten times, which must've made Jake feel pretty good, but I was the one who nearly died most of the time. Once, my foot missed a small rock sticking out, and it dangled in the air. Luckily, Jake caught it and helped my foot onto a tiny ledge. A few minutes after, Jake thought it would be funny to grab my ankle and yell, saying he was about to fall, which made me look down with fear, only to see how high up we were. He was perfectly fine, which made me aggravated and kick him in the face.

I hear a high-pitched scream in the distance. I have an unnerving feeling that something bad is happening. There's an essence of fear hanging in the air. There's also a faint noise: sobbing.

A gust of air presses against my left side, throwing myself to the right. I gasp and cling to the rocks for my life, but thankfully, I feel one of Jake's hands clamp around one of my hips, steadying me.

"You okay?" he asks over the wind.

"Yeah. Come on, I see the edge of the cliff already."

Tiredly, I pull myself up and onto the top of the cliff, Jake climbing up after me. Panting, I lie on my back and close my eyes. "For the love of Zeus," I say. "If you make me do anything like this ever again, Jake, especially with one of my worst fears, I swear to all the gods that I will-"

"Calm down, Bell," he interrupts, but I hear him trying to slow his breaths. "We're only a little high up from the ground, that's all."

I open my eyes and stand up, my breathing finally even from the cliff-climbing. Facing him, I say, "Your definition of little seems to be extremely different than my definition of little, Jake."

"Whatever." he replies.

"Garrrgh!" another voice bellows.

Before I can speak again, Jake swiftly covers a hand over my mouth, both of our eyes widened. I hear my heartbeat pound in my ears, my hands shaking. I think about getting my bow and arrows, but decide against it. Jake looks into my eyes, his are asking if I won't talk loudly, and I nod. He takes his hand off my face and looks around cautiously. "What the Hades was that?" I whisper.

Jake turns around, and so do I, and see the ledge of the cliff is more narrow than we thought. It drops off to the opposite side, which is where the voice was coming from: Right below us.

"You two will never come out alive," the deep voice bellows. "And you will never see that young demigod of yours again!"

Jake and I exchange a look. I think we're right over the cave, where Polyphemus is.

A different voice, probably a young girl, yells, "Just let her go already. She's only nine!"

Someone else pipes in, maybe a guy around my age. "Alexis, shut up! You're making it worse!"

Jake and I quietly make our way toward the edge. We're right above the Cyclop's cave, and I can see what's happening: a girl, no older than thirteen, is in a cage made out of what seems to be. . . bones? I'd rather not dwell on the material of the small prison, so I glance around the remainder of the cave. I see Polyphemus standing and holding an older boy, probably my age, by the leg. I'm surprised nobody acknowledged him hanging in the air. Where's the other half-blood we're supposed to rescue?

"We have to get in when the cyclops isn't looking." Jake whispers. I nod.

"I would eat you now, silly half-bloods," Polyphemus says. "But I must check on my sheepies!" The cyclops drops the boy onto the ground harshly and begins walking to the exit of the cave, a mix of sheep and goats floowing him from behind.

"Hurry," Jake says. "We have to get inside before he blocks the entrance, like in the stories!" Swiftly and quietly, I swing my legs over the edge and hop into the cave as Polyphemus rolls a large boulder over the only exit, leaving Jake outside. My eyes go wide.

"Jake!" I pound on the rough boulder, and I hear him screaming my name from the other side. "Jake!"

"Bell," I hear him shout. "Polyphemus is gone for now, but the boulder is too big for either of us to roll aside. You're going to have to do as much as you can in there until I'm able to get you guys!"

I stop pounding on the over-sized rock, but shout, "Jake! You're kidding, I can't do this on my own!"

"Bell, just shut up and do what you need to. There's a flashlight in the backpack that you have and some food." I didn't hear from him again.

I dig a flashlight out of my backpack and turn around, exposing bright light in the dark cave. The girl in the bony cage eyes me curiously, but more desperately. I flash the light on that boy, who is currently lying on his back, seeming like it's hard to breath.

"Who are you?" the girl asks me, her hands clutching on the bars.

"I'm Bell, one of the people that came to save you guys." I reply. The girl sighs with relief.

"My name is Alexis, Alexis Griffith. That over there is Dylan, Dylan Knight. He was too stubborn to shut up, which is why that cyclops was hanging him upside down."

I nod and walk over to Dylan, who's still breathing, but slowly. Poking his chest with the end of my flashlight, I ask, "Dylan? You're still alive, right?" I kneel down next to him. "Dylan?"

No response. "Alright, one more chance until I slap you to get up." He stays still, but he looks like he's trying to move. I shrug and bring my free hand back, making a loud impact with his face. He's stirring a bit more.

"Dude, I'm not giving you CPR."

He frowns and slowly sits up, trying to breath normally again. I rummage through my backpack and hand him a water bottle. He takes a sip, then says, "It was worth a try, right?" I roll my eyes.

I stand and walk over to Alexis, who is still trapped in that cage. Now looking up close, I am able to confirm that, yes, the cage is made of bones. Reluctantly, I hold my hands up and try to snap the bones, but they are as solid as the thing keeping us trapped in here. Taking a deep breath, I embrace myself and hurl my shoulder at the bars. It doesn't even make a sound. I pound my shoulder on it again, but there's still no luck.

"I don't have any sword or dagger or anything, so I doubt I can slice this thing," I tell Alexis. She has dark hair and a little snarl that's naturally playing on her face. "Do you know who your godly parent is?"

"Ares."

I shrug. "Go figure."

"How are we gonna get her out?" Dylan asks, walking up to us.

I sigh. "I think the only thing strong enough to take the cage out of the floor is Polyphemus himself. Unless I can build something that lifts it up, which I don't have enough materials for."

Dylan raises an eyebrow. "Build something? Are you a daughter of-"

"Athena?" I interrupt. "No, but one can dream. My mom's Aphrodite."

Dylan replies, "No argument there."

I cross my arms and turn around to make a face at Jake, but I forgot that he isn't here. I sigh and ask, "Aren't there supposed to be three of you? Chiron said he sent a satyr out for you guys but he sorta. . . Died."

Dylan looks down, but Alexis says, "Yeah, Melody isn't here. They took her somewhere else, maybe still in the country. She's only nine."

I take a minute to let that sink in, and curse. "You're kidding me. A nine year-old lost in the country?! I'm telling you, I care for this kid, but _seriously_? We're already in the Sea of Monsters for Zeus's sake! What kind of person would take a nine year old girl-Ugh! How am I gonna tell Jake?" I am on the verge of shooting something that is well alive.

Dylan lifts his head. "Jake? Who's Jake?"

I give him fierce look. "You," I snap at him. "You better learn how to shut your mouth before it gets you hurt or killed, just like earlier. Don't you dare speak to me, especially right now."

Alexis seems to have some guts, asking, "But, who _is_ Jake?"

I roll my hand through my long hair. "He's a friend, one of the guys that came to get you. He's on the other side of that boulder. He's locked out while we're locked in and I-I mean we seriously need him right now."

"One of the guys?" Dylan pipes up with some nerve. "So there's three of you?"

I turn around and stomp towards him untill his back is on the wall, my forearm to his neck. "Are you sixteen?" I ask. He nods. "Then you should've learned by now when enough is enough, you little douche. So shut your face before I do it for you, and trust me when I say that I will not hesitate to do so."

"Yikes," Dylan whispers so only I can hear. "Pretty girl's got some fire."

I put the charm of my necklace between two of my fingers, letting it turn into my weapon, and grab an arrow out of my quiver, pointing the sharp tip at Dylan's cheek.

"Okay you little-"

"Guys! I think I hear Polyphemus coming back!" Alexis yells over at us, interrupting my well-worded threat. I let my bow and arrows stay as they are and hide behind a tiny boulder that's deeper into the cave, big enough to conceal me. The cyclops doesn't know I'm here. Dylan is by the cage where Alexis is at, both of them pretending as if another half-blood is here with them.

I ready an arrow and wait for the boulder to slide open, which it does. He greets tons of sheep and goats as they trudge inside the cave. I watch from behind my temporary concealment as Polyphemus walk towards Dylan and Alexis, not rolling the boulder in front of the opening of the cave yet. I see Jake run into the cave while the cyclops isn't looking, sprinting silently towards the rock I'm hiding behind.

"Jake!" I whisper at him happily, a large smile playing on my face. I tackle him to the ground with a hug. He hugs me back. "Oh gods, those were the longest minutes of my life, having to tolerate Dylan." I say, our faces inches apart. I hug him again, just to reassure myself that he's really here. After one more minute, I help him back on his knees, the rock still concealing us.

"Minutes," he asks. "I thought it was about an hour until Polyphemus came back."

I shrug. "Well, I couldn't get that girl, Alexis, out of that cage. It's made of bones and stuff and I couldn't break it or anything. I think we need to wait for the cyclops to take her out of the cage himself."

Jake nods and whispers, "I'm on it." He quietly runs towards Alexis and her cage, but far enough away to be behind Polyphemus, who is taunting the girl.

"I was thinking about eating you first. You might have less meat than the other half-blood, who feels meatier." Polyphemus explains to Alexis. The dumb cyclops lifts up the cage, then scrunches his eyebrow and turns around to close the cave with the boulder. He's about to see Jake right behind him, but luckily the son of Apollo rolls towards Alexis, keeping himself out of sight from Polyphemus. That was a mistake.

The bone-cage was lifted about four feet off the ground, which Jake rolled under to get Alexis out, but the cyclops dropped the thing once Jake was already inside, meaning: We're all gonna die in the hands of a cyclops.

I put the palm of my hand to my face and sigh, letting my weapon turn back to a necklace.

"I can see why you like him," someone, Dylan, whispers to me from behind the rock. I guess Dylan snuck over here while Polyphemus wasn't looking. "He's quite a genius."

I decide to go completely off subject and whisper back, "Who's your godly parent?"

"Poseidon."

I nod. "Hmm," I take a swing at Dylan's face, knocking him out cold. "That should keep you quiet." I pat his annoying little cheek and place a cup of nectar by him. I've heard I punch hard, "for a girl."

As I turn back around, I see that Polyphemus noticed an extra body in the cage, when there was supposed to be only one. I watch them with worry, get my bow and arrows, and ready my weapon for anything that might happen to Jake or Alexis.

Polyphemus squints with his milky eye to get a better look. I aim my arrow, just in case. Jake whispers something to Alexis, and she nods. Polyphemus lifts up the cage and sticks his hand in to get Jake out, and I see Alexis swiftly duck out of her little prison, thank the gods. The cyclops lifts Jake in the air, who stabs his large hand with his sword, and quickly takes it back out. Gross.

"What is that, little man?" Polyphemus bellows. Alexis meets me behind the boulder.

"What happened to Dylan?" she asks.

I shrug. "He fell asleep."

I watch as Jake struggles in the grip of the Cyclops, and a thought occurred to me: Odysseus came out alive by stabbing Polyphemus in the eye or something, and calling himself Nobody. I can be Nobody, right?

"Stay here unless you might be able to come out of this cave." I whisper to Alexis. She nods.

I run behind some hopefully non-carnivorous goats, letting them hide me as I shoot Polyphemus in the eye with what I believe is mastered aim. Jake glances at me with worry, but that worry is mostly for me.

"AARGH!" Polyphemus yells, dropping Jake on some cleared floor of the cave to take the arrow out. Jake isn't moving. "Who was that?!" the cyclops asks loudly.

"Nobody!" I shout back, staying behind the goats. He flings the arrow down, a tear forming in his eye.

"Nobody! How dare you come back to my island! I will kill you once and for all, this time!"

I need to think fast, so all of us can get out of the cave successfully.

"Uhh. . . Well do you know what I, the great Nobody, learned?" I shout back. "You are unable to defeat me unless you remove the boulder from this cave, which means you shall never kill me, the one and only Nobody!"

Polyphemus looks mad. "NO! I will kill Nobody! I will defeat you, Nobody!" The stupid little cyclops removes the boulder from our only exit, which is great. I glance back Alexis, who helps Dylan, who is now conscious, get to his feet. They run behind the cyclops and out of the cave. Mission: Nearly Accomplished. We just need to get that last half-blood, Melody, and we'll be good. I hope it's easy.

"Where are you, Nobody?!" Polyphemus bellows. "Show yourself so I can kill you already!"

I stay silent as I run to Jake, who is lying unconscious on the floor. He's still breathing, thankfully. "Jake," I whisper loudly, shaking his shoulders. "Jake, get up!" I slap him.

"Jake!"

"Nobody!"

"Bell?"

His eyes flutter open. There's no time for another hug, and I tug on his arm, urging him to get up. "Hurry, before Polyphemus finds us!"

The cyclops bellows. "Nobody, show yourself so I can crush you!"

I help Jake up and we sprint out of the cave.

"Nobody!" Polyphemus yells, oblivious to the demigods that are no longer with him. The cyclops turns around, facing us. "Nobody!"

He quickly grabs Jake and thrusts him inside the cave. I shriek, bringing the attention to me. Alexis comes out of wherever she was hiding and pulls my arm away from the cave. But I am stronger than her. I bring myself into the cave and towards my best friend, dragging Alexis with me.

I kneel beside Jake and check his pulse, Alexis standing to the side, panting. I hear something loud, and turn around. Polyphemus slides the bolder in front of the opening of the cave, trapping us inside again.

I ignore that and turn back to Jake, who's still lifeless as ever, as a tear rolls down my cheek. I shake his shoulders vigorously, but Alexis pushes me to the ground, a few feet away from them. I don't know why until I see the small prison surrounding the two, trapping them in the cage of bones. I'm the only one that's not in the creepy cage, besides Dylan who isn't in the cave with us.

"Nobody!" Polyphemus exclaims. "Oh! And some half-bloods as side food! Yay, this will be a great meal!"


	16. Chapter 16

I stumble backwards on the ground of the cave and transform the necklace to my bow and arrows. This better not be where I'll die or else I'll kill Jake for even encouraging me. I guess I'm the only person who can free the three of us, and I do not know what to think about that.

I aim an arrow at Polyphemus, who is laughing like an idiot, and try to shoot his eye again. I miss by a yard, and curse. "I get Nobody and half-bloods!" Polyphemus giggles to himself. You have got to be kidding me. I ready another arrow, but the cyclops turns to look at me with his milky eye, squints, and picks me up by the waist.

"Bell!" Alexis shouts from the cage.

"Shut up and try to wake up Jake!" I yell down at her.

With both of my hands free, I try to push myself out of the firm grip of the cyclops, but he's nearly crushing my soul already. "What is this?" Polyphemus asks, seeming to be looking at my weapon. He cannot get my weapon. This is my weapon, not his. Mine.

Before he can grab my bow or quiver, I make sure it turns back to my sentimental little necklace. He swipes behind me, right where my quiver was a second ago. I punch his fist, still holding me in the air, and kick around, too. The cyclops brings me closer to his eye, and I'd rather not explain in detail of what anything is, _none_ out of all my five natural senses.

"Should I eat you now," Polyphemus asks, a bit too eagerly. "Or should I boil you first?"

My eyes widen. I'm about to curse my way out of the disgusting monster's hand, but I hear a voice before my mouth is even open.

"Boil! You should boil her, it'll taste better that way!" I turn my head around, seeing it was Jake who spoke. I yell quite some nasty things at him.

"Get some cold water and boil it the longest you can!" he shouts.

"You are right, Nobody," Polyphemus says. "I will get the boiling ready for the feisty little half-blood."

The cyclops carelessly throws me, my back roughly hitting the cave wall, and I slide down and onto the cold ground, feet away from the cage. I hardly hear anything as Polyphemus walks straight out of the cave, quickly concealing the opening with the bolder behind him.

"Bell?" someone asks. "Are you okay?"

I don't respond. I wouldn't respond, even if the wind wasn't knocked out of me. Yet it still is. I take slow, deep breaths as I try to feel alive again. There's some yelling coming from the prison where Alexis and Jake are, but to me, it's all faint whispers in the damp cave.

_Inhale_.

_Exhale_.

I've felt like this once. I was climbing at the top of some high monkey bars when I was nine, all alone in the park because my parents didn't really care if I were the only one there or not. They were too busy having googly eyes over my attention seeking three year-old step-brother. His name was Vincent.

Now that I think of it, I liked being alone, it gave me time to think. Anyways, I was trying to sit at the very top of the monkey bars, and so I lifted my legs to sit down on there. I felt my body lose balance, swiveling around to stay seated on the bars. Next thing you know, I fall flat on my back, my eyes looking at the blue sky, wether I liked it or not. It was hard for me to move, and it felt like my chest was giving way. I tried to catch my breath, but it was quite painful to do just that. My body, I think, had lay still for about fifteen minutes before I could even bear to try and sit up. I remember seeing a woman bring her little kid to the park, and I didn't want her to worry, so I forced myself to sit on the park bench and smile back when she smiled. She didn't know it was difficult for me to breath, but I pretended everything was better than ever. Heck, I never even told my parents, afraid they would keep me from going back to the quiet little park where I could just hang out and think, all to myself.

Nobody was there with me, and nobody was there to check to see if I were okay, and that was basically the rest of my life. I don't know how I truly feel about that.

I force my head to turn, still unable to bear the pain, which is a billion times worse than that day at the park. I'm feeling funny today, actually. It turns out, I'm very close by the cage that's imprisoning my sweet guy-friend that I'm not sure if he really is a "friend" or not because the way the two of us act towards each other is a bit confusing for me even if I am a daughter of Aphrodite who is the goddess of love which means that I should be able to tell if he feels anything more of a friendly relationship towards me but I can't really tell yet I'm pretty sure those friendly feelings are becoming a bit less friendlier and more of something else that I think would be really nice but for now he's acting like a really stupid and oblivious guy friend at the moment making me always have to play along.

What did I just say? I don't know, something about Jake, I think.

Also, Alexis is in the cage with him.

Gathering up my last bit of shredded dignity, I crawl my way towards the two, basically killing myself with all the breathing that's going on. I make my hand lean towards them, Jake getting as close as he can get to me (the bones are between us, duh), and he grabs my hand. I see a bit of a desperate, sad look in his eyes, which are the last things I see before I pass out.

* * *

Where am I? It feels like I can breath. Am I in Elysium? Will I see Malcolm here?

"Hello again, Bell." Who was that?

The scene becomes clearer, and I am somewhere I cannot identify, which seems a bit mean because I'd like to be somewhere that I know of. Sitting on a chair, I trash the entire sweet and peaceful setting and details and stuff and look around, seeing Aphrodite slowly walking towards me, a smile playing in her face.

I test my breathing. "What am I doing here?" I say aloud. Woah, I can still talk. This is a weird place for Elysium.

"Relax, Bell," my mother says comfortingly, sitting in front of me like the first time I've seen her. "Happily, you are not dead yet, no," I'm not dead yet? Do I still have an option to be dead yet? "You're still needed on this quest, and I've finally found something quite cute to work with!" Aphrodite claps giddily.

"What?" That's all I manage to say.

"Sorry, but I thought now would be a good time to speak to you. I wanted to help you out and tell my very lucky daughter something important. Remember right before you passed out and you were thinking about that Apollo-boy? Well, here's the good news: I have taken the liberty in making your love life much more fun! Trust me, Bell, it is going to be such a thrill. But I don't think I should explain anything else, that would ruin the surprise!"

Surprise?

"On the other hand, you aren't dying. You just got your wind knocked out for almost half an hour, that is all," she waves that aside. "That Dylan boy is really nervous about being alone out there, and he's trying to find a way to save all of you, I believe. Oh, but you must remember: do not get so close to the edge. Anyways-"

"Mother!" I sigh. She needs to get some more rest, I think the perfume is getting to her brain.

"There's one more thing I forgot, something about that Alexis girl," she snaps, trying to remember. I cross my arms impatiently. I can seriously go for a good book right now.

"I remember!" Aphrodite exclaims excitedly. "I know it is against the rules to help our children on their quests, but I think I should give you a little hint: the Romans. I know you'll get what I'm talking about sometime while on this quest, but that is all I can give you for now. Oh, how I wish I could stay and chat, but I fear Zeus might know what I'm doing right now. Good luck, Bell!"

I clutch the armrests. "What? Mother? What are you talking about? The romans? And what surprise? Mom?!" But nobody is there to answer me. I feel the cold pavement of the cave again, and I know that short little meeting with my mom is now over. That's messed up.

"Bell," I hear someone shout my name, clutching my hand, and my face in another hand. "Bell?! Please wake up, Bell, we need you! I-We really need you, Bell."

I slowly open my eyes, Jake's staring into mine, kneeling beside me. "Oh gods, Bell!" He hugs me, well, as best a hug you can get when there's bones/bars between you. Jake's hand returns to the side of my face, carefully. "You were so pale, and you felt really cold."

I'm able to breath normally, finally. I sit up, staying close to Jake, his hand staying in mine. These dead bars are seriously annoying right now. "Relax, Jake, I'm fine." I decide not to tell them about my mom talking to me again. The conversation was really confusing. And short.

"I told you she'd be okay," a voice, Alexis, pipes up from behind him. "Yeesh."

He gives my hand a slight squeeze. "Polyphemus shouldn't be back for about an hour, I think, which gives us as much time as we can get for an escape plan."

I curse under the stress. "Before we do that, there's something you need to know," I slump down on the bars, leaning on Jake, who's sitting down, too. "Remember, there's supposed to be three half-bloods, Jake. We only found two."

He scrunches his eyebrows. Alexis is sitting far away from him, trying to even her breaths from her being back in the little prison. I continue, "Alexis told me the last half-blood was taken somewhere else, probably back in the country. They took her, Jake, the youngest half-blood. Alexis said her name is Melody, nine years old."

Jake takes a deep breath and drapes his hand over my shoulder, trying to comfort me. "It's okay, we'll just have to find her, then. The quest is to get the three half-bloods, not just to be here in the home of the Cyclops. We can do this, Bell."

I close my eyes. "Bull. Malcolm was right, this is a suicide quest."

Jake has my head lean on his shoulder. "No, we're getting out here alive."

"You know," Alexis pipes up. "He's taking this better than you did." I keep my eyes closed and ignore her.

"How so?" Jake asks.

"She sorta yelled a bit and nearly threatened Dylan with one of her arrows."

I feel him nod and hear the smile with his voice, whispering so only I could hear. "You know, your more than just a daughter of Aphrodite, Bell." I open my eyes and give him a slight shove. "Shut up." I get up on my knees and begin to crawl to that small boulder that concealed me earlier. I think I left my backpack over there. I think I should name that boulder Phillip, it seems like a Phillip.

"What are you doing?" Jake asks from the cage.

"I think there's one more water bottle in my backpack, next to that boulder, Phillip."

"I can get it for you." I roll my eyes and turn my head to look at him.

"You're too stupid to be a son of Apollo," I say. He replies with a cocky grin.

I continue, "If you haven't noticed, you're sorta imprisoned in a cage made of bones from what I hope are from animals." I continue to crawl towards Phillip, luckily finding my backpack there. I decide to get back beside Jake before I open it.

Rummaging through the bag, I take out a water bottle and some ambrosia; I'm still pretty worn by that throw from the cyclops. After eating one ambrosia square, I take a drink from the water bottle then choke on the water with an idea. "What?" Jake asks, still by my side.

I stand up with enthusiasm."Brilliant, brilliant! It's brilliant!"

Jake stands up, too, and asks, "What? What's brilliant?"

I ignore him and take out the 550 rope in my backpack. This has to work.

"Bell," Jake asks. "What are you doing?"

"Just shut up and help lift me to the top of the cage." The bones that make the bars of the cage aren't that close together, which makes things a bit easier. Jake clasps both of his hands together for me to put a foot in, and I do so.

He gives me a boost to the top edge of the cage, and I climb my way to the middle (on the top) from there. I unravel the rope and tie an intricate knot on the bones. Just out of curiosity, I carefully jump on the bones to see if anything happens, but they hardly even bend. Darn, it would've been much easier if they just snapped. I look at the bones at the top (where I already am) of the cage, but there's no small holes or anything to have Alexis or Jake climb out from, meaning: My original plan must go on.

I get out my bow and arrows and shoot an arrow to the closest cave wall, successfully sinking in. It's high enough for me to reach on my tip-toes, still standing on the bones, and I tie the rope on to the arrow. I don't think a single one is strong enough for the entire cage, so I stick in about a dozen more to tie the rope to; I put them all in certain angles so it might be able to withhold the cage better. I carefully climb down and hop back onto the cave floor. I bring the other end of the rope with me, walking towards Phillip.

Thank goodness the rope is long enough. I tie it around the boulder with the best knot I can think of. "Okay." I mutter to myself. I bet Malcolm would be quite proud if he could see this.

I try and push Phillip farther away from the cage, which I can barely manage, but I'm still able to move it. My plan, it works. It works! The cage gets lifted up foot by foot every time that I roll the boulder over. It's heavy and I feel a trickle of sweat around my hairline, but I keep pushing the boulder over. I take fast breaths as I begin to roll it over one more time, but someone's hand is on my shoulder now.

I turn my head to see who, and it's Jake. He says, "It's good now," He brings me close and gives me a hug. "You're a genius, Bell!

I shrug. "I should've thought of that earlier."

He lets me go of the tight embrace. "Now, we just have have to get out of-"

"No, not yet," I interrupt. "We need to stay here and wait for Polyphemus." Before Jake can say anything, I continue. "I think he knows where the last half-blood, Melody, is. It's our only chance, and I was thinking that I could try and Charmspeak him."

Jake thinks for a minute. "That might actually work."

"I hope so." I see Alexis attempt to push the huge boulder that's blocking the opening of the cave, and shake my head.

"I think," Jake starts. "That you should practice your Charmspeak."

I raise my eyebrows. "On who?"

"Me, of course."

I cross my arms. "What would I need to make you do. . . Wait, I got it. You should push that boulder over there." I point at Phillip. Jake nods, and walks over to the boulder. I watch as he pushes it, making the portable prison go up higher. Obviously, Jake is stronger than me, so it seems like it doesn't take as much as an effort as it did for me. I can't help but feel a bit guilty for him doing that with no actual purpose, so I call him over with more Charmspeak. "Jake, stop. Come back." He walks back to me. I sit on the ground and think of something simpler than anything physical for him: talking. But what he should talk about, I'm not sure.

"Hmm. . . Sit in front of me first," he does so. I continue, "Tell me how you felt about Malcolm." I shrug to myself, that's not half bad, really. This Charmspeak is still pretty easy.

Jake's eyes glaze over and he begins speaking. "I've known Malcolm ever since I first came to Camp Half-blood, which made us really close. He turned into one of my best friends, and I felt horrible when he died. It felt like a part of me died, when he was gone." A tear rolls down my face. Jake continues, "We both knew each other really well, and he was one of my best friends. That's also a reason why I thought he should come along with us on this quest. I was happy he said yes, but pretty bummed when I finally heard the prophecy, because the words made it pretty clear that not all of us would survive. . ." I take a deep breath while Jake continues speaking as I ignore him.

I pull myself together, making sure it didn't seem like I was just crying a second ago. "Enough, that's enough." The words are barely above a whisper. "Jake, _stop_."

He blinks. I take one more deep breath and fake a smile. "Do you think it worked?"

"Huh? Oh, um, I think. Yeah, I'm pretty sure it worked."

I tilt my head a bit. "Did you know what you were doing?" I ask.

"Yeah," he replies. "It just felt like doing what you said was the right thing to do, that it was absolutely mandatory."

I nod. "Well, I hope it works on Polyphemus, then. How long do you think it'll take for the cyclops to come back? After all, you did tell him I'd taste better boiled," I look over Jake's shoulder, and see that Alexis gave up on that huge boulder. "I think you should get away from that thing before the next thing you know, the cyclops is back and eats you." I shout over to her.

"Yeah," Jake says. "Polyphemus should be back any minute now. We've got to hurry."

I nod, beginning to stand up. "You guys should hide behind that boulder, Phillip, and I guess I can strike up some forced conversation for the info." Jake stands with me, then asks, "You named a boulder Phillip?" I shrug. "It looks like a Phillip.

We hear thumping and small grunts coming from outside the cave, the noise getting louder. "That's my queue." I motion for Alexis to get behind Phillip, and she runs there. I walk beside Jake so he can hide, too.

We stand next to the large rock, Alexis on the other side, concealed away, for now. "Wish me luck." I say to him, turning around.

"Bell, wait," he holds my wrist. I turn back around, facing him. Jake pulls me closer to him, and he kisses me. I'm not sure if this surprised me or not. His hand is on the side of my cheek, both of our eyes closed, and I kiss him back. I put one hand on his chest, the other around his neck. He places his free hand on the small of my back and me pulls me closer. I'm not sure what to think except, well, _wow_. We both pull away, Jake with a cocky grin and me blushing. He tells me, "You seriously don't know how long I've been wanting to do that." I smile while looking into his navy blue eyes and, reluctantly, pull away from his grasp, walking to the middle of the cave. I'm a bit glad my back is facing him, that way he won't see the stupid grin playing on my face.

I decide to get my weapons out, readying an arrow as I wait for Polyphemus. I glance back at where Jake and Alexis are at, concealed by the boulder and darkness of the cave.

I turn my head back around to face where the opening of the cave is, and the boulder gets pushed aside by the cyclops which is about three times the size of my body. I close my eyes for a second and, using Charmspeak, shout, "Stop what you're doing, Polyphemus, and listen to me."


	17. Chapter 17

My hands shake at my sides while I face Polyphemus. I gulp, but Charmspeak, saying, "Tell me the truth, and where is Melody? Where did they take her?" I'm surprised by how well I asked that.

I am in the middle of the cave, the Cyclops near the opening. I watch as Dylan sprouts in the cave behind Polyphemus.

"They took her in California," the Cyclops replies obediently. California?!

"Why?" I ask. "Why did they take her to California?" Confession time: I am absolutely terrified right now. My sweaty hands are shaking and I cannot stand still.

Polyphemus grunts. "They want you. They talk to me with the rainbow!"

I scrunch my eyebrows and mutter, "The rainbow. . .? Oh! Iris-message! Polyphemus, can you show me Melody with the rainbow?" It's a tad stupid, but I have to try. She's only nine.

The Cyclops shakes his head. "I cannot find any rainbow on my island! Only they-"

"I can help," Dylan interrupts from behind. I glare at him, that dumb sack of kelp doesn't know what's coming. "I can control water to help make a rainbow." Dylan explains.

I guess he's not _that_ dumb for algae as a brain. "Umm, I guess," I say quietly. I turn back to Polyphemus, who looks quite dumbstruck. I Charmspeak again, "Polyphemus, bring my friends and I to the ravine _safely_, that way we can make a rainbow." Jake and Alexis reluctantly step out of concealment from Phillip. This can go wrong in so many ways. I might as well just go there with Dylan by myself, so nobody else can get hurt. I can't afford anyone else to get hurt.

The Cyclops grins. "Yay, rainbow!" He grabs the four of us with his large hands, me and Dylan in one hand, Jake and Alexis in the other.

"Please don't crush us, please don't crush us," I mutter to myself as Polyphemus carries us out of the cave.

He hops towards the ravine gleefully, all the man-eating sheep ignoring us as we pass by. This is surprisingly easy. Maybe too easy. . . I don't know.

He sets us all down, right next to the water. I'm still shaking. Dylan holds out his hand towards the water and a soft mist comes, a rainbow appearing. I see Jake fish a golden drachma out of his pocket (since when did he have drachmas in his pocket?), and says, "O Iris, Goddess of the rainbow, accept our offering," Jake throws the drachma into the rainbow, but it doesn't plop to the other side of the mist, as it should. Instead, the rainbow seems to have absorbed it, I guess. "Melody-what's her last name?"

"Rose." Alexis replies.

"Melody Rose, California." I hope that's enough information to Iris-message her.

The rainbow shimmers, and a scene flickers: A small girl with chocolate brown hair, but there's one light streak of gray, too. She doesn't see us because she is on her knees, her head drooping down, her hair hanging loosely around her face. Melody. She seems to be holding something above her shoulders, something heavy, as if her life depended on her carrying whatever that is, and that might actually be true. I hear small sounds coming from the rainbow: weeping. She is crying.

"I know where she is." I hear Jake mutter.

I'd reply, but there's a voice coming from the rainbow. "What's that?" It's a man, who spoke, I think.

Someone pops up in front of the rainbow, where Melody is at, his eyes widened with shock. "Who are you?!" he yelps.

"Who are _you_?" I snap back. It's the only response I could think of without sounding like even more of an idiot.

I expect him to wave away the rainbow, but instead, an evil smirk appears on his mouth. "You don't know who I am, Bellanca. You just need to rescue this weak little half-blood before she gives out like an old light bulb."

Looking over the man's shoulder, I can't see what Melody is holding above herself. But I can see that they must be high up somewhere, like a hill or something. It seems to be pretty sunny, despite the fact that everything feels gloomy right now.

"What are you doing to Melody?" Jake asks. I hear someone mutter a curse, but don't turn around to see who.

The man's smirk becomes wider. "Oh, I just want Bellanca, that's all. The little Melody girl will be perfectly fine, but only if we have Bell. She's a dangerous-"

I swipe at the mist to end the Iris-message, not letting the guy finish, and startle Dylan in the process. "Okay," I announce to them. "You know where she is, Jake? I think we had a good look of the scenery to have a lead, right?"

I am not dangerous. I am only me, and I am helping save lives. Yeah, I am helping save lives. That sounds reassuring. Very reassuring.

"I think," Jake says. "It's probably Mount Tamal-"

"Wait," someone interrupts. "Something about this feels wrong, like. . . Like something with those sheep."

Jake and I turn around, and see it's Alexis who spoke. I shrug at her. "Well, yeah, of course it's the sheep. Not just the fact that we're on the island of the Cyclops with a missing half-blood on our hands. You know, the usual."

Jake crosses his arms. "Ignore her, Alexis. She's been in a cruddy mood ever since she got seperated from me at the cave." He turns his head to face me, a cocky smile playing on his lips. I glare at him. Now is not the time to be giving me those stupid looks like his dad.

I shake my head vigorously. I think it helps clear out everything that's not needed in my mind at the moment. We need to focus on getting Melody back, not on the stupid, man-eating sheep.

"I think we'll be able to get back to the boat from here," I announce to the three of them, temporarily leaving out Polyphemus from the conversation.

"A boat?" Dylan pipes up. "I thought I sensed something on the water. I can bring it here with my psychedelic water powers." The son of the sea god wiggles his fingers, like some magical mist is supposed to appear frrom them.

Jake and I nod at him in unison. Dylan walks towards the edge of the water and replaces his expression with a look of concentration.

I turn back to Polyphemus, who is currently messing around with the carnivorous sheep and ignoring us, the extremely important half-bloods.

"Polyphemus," I shout loud enough so he can hear, using Charmspeak in my words. "I think I saw Nobody back at your cave! You should go in there and finish him off!"

Polyphemus jerks his head, glaring at where the cave is. "Nobody!" the Cyclops shouts, stomping away from us and towards nobody.

I sigh with relief. Turning back around to face the others, I examine them wonderingly. Jake has his hands in his jean pockets and is staring into the horizon of the ocean. The sun is about to set. Dylan and his "psychedelic water powers" seem to be working, since I see the yacht slowly coming into view, from right around the cliffs.

Wow. If he's the son of Poseidon and can do stuff like that, I wonder what he and Percy might be able to do together once they meet each other and find out they're brothers. . .

I turn my head to look at Alexis. My eyes widen. She's nowhere in view. Where'd she go?

I have to turn a full circle and a half until I finally see her. She seems to be wandering off toward the sheep. The sheep. The _sheep_. It's all farther away from the rest of us than I thought.

Alexis gets closer to the sheep before I'm able to say something. They suddenly swarm around her like they did to the last animal I saw when Jake and I first sailed here. No.

Before I can register it, I am sprinting and shouting her name. "Alexis! _Alexis_! Don't!"

Fluffs of wool jump into the damp air. I am about to leap to where Alexis is, which is far enough for me, but I suddenly get pulled back. I don't know who it is that's holding me back, and right now, I don't care.

I get lifted off the ground, if only a few inches, my arms stuck to my sides. I kick the air and try to get out of the tight grasp. I need to make sure Alexis okay, even if there's a 95% chance that she's not.

The grip around me loosens, and I take that chance to get free. I look to where the daughter of the god of war should be, but she's no longer there. The sheep seemed to have been done with her, and I hate to say this. I absolutely hate it. But the only thing to replace the spot where which Alexis stood is a pile of bones. Human bones. The ones of a half-blood.

I freeze in place, but not with fear. Shock is what stops me in my tracks, not fear. Fear is something that I am able to withstand. It helps with the pain and realization over something that could be lost, or something that is able to get torn from my grasp.

But shock? Shock is different. It won't let me realize what was stolen from me, only letting me see it and not comprehend it completely. This realization, I know, can have the ability to make me go rather depressed. Not crazy, but depressed. I've been shocked like this before. Too many times like this before. I thought I should have gotten used to the shock of death by now, since it can happen only so often, but no. I'm still shocked.

I prep myself to run over to the remains of Alexis Griffith, but someone grabs my shoulders from behind and spins me around. I trip over my own feet in the startling process as the two of us fall on the ground. We tumble over each other, with a mixture of limbs that are mine and some that are not, and down the small hill. We finally stop rolling.

It's Dylan. He seems to be trying not to squish my body under the weight of his, since we stopped rolling with his face hovering a few inches away from mine. Now that I have a closer look, (an extremely closer look), I see his eyes are more sea-green than blue. I think it suits him, the way it does to his half-brother, Percy.

"Guys?" I hear someone call, Jake, running down the tiny hill to catch up to us. "Are you two okay? Bell, you just knocked me down and kept running and Dylan had to get you. . ." Jake's voice slows down as the slight situation sinks in.

Dylan picks himself up. "Uh, right," he mutters, and holds out his hand for me. I take it. We're both standing, brushing off the dirt from our clothes and wiping it away from our skin. I have to lean on Dylan's shoulder to help support myself to stand. My ankle hurts a lot. I look up, seeing that Jake is staring at us.

"Did you see-" I begin to ask the son of Apollo.

"Yeah," he interrupts me. "I feel awful, but we need to get out of here."

I nod a grave nod. "You're right. We need to get Melody."

I turn to face the shore, seeing the yacht is already there. Limping in pain, I walk on the boat calmly. I've decided something: I need to stop dealing with deaths the way a toddler deals with a dead pet goldfish. If someone dies, I can't keep crying over myself; it would be a disgrace in the name of that person. They did it for the same reason, I think. I don't know for sure of what that reason is, but I need to respect the choice. Jake and I need to finish this quest, whether it kills us or not.

Jake and Dylan hop onto the boat the moment I'm already below deck. I drop the backpack I had on my back and onto the floor. I can hear the boys talking above as I walk to a wooded wall of the ship and bang my head on it. I'm only hitting my head so I can remind myself that this isn't a dumb dream.

I finally stop slamming my head and sigh. We need to go. I turn around and stand there for a minute, ignoring a sudden pain shooting down my leg, and see Jake walking down the stairs and towards me.

"Bell," he begins, probably not knowing that I might've hit my head one too many times, since he seems so oblivious. "Dylan said he can move the boat around, so we don't really have to do steer or anything. I was thinking that we need to get to California, obviously." He strides towards me.

"Yeah, that's-" I begin, and take a step forward, only resulting in extreme pain coming from my left ankle as I fall down. Jake catches me reflexively.

"What's wrong- Oh gods, you're ankle!" Jake helps me lay on the floor as I wince in pain and curse.

"How did-" I start.

"You probably hit your ankle, at first, while you were falling down that hill and could've sprained it," Jake says, his healing-because-he's-a-son-of-Apollo side coming on. "Then maybe you twisted it while you turned around just now, most likely."

I can't hear him so well, since I feel lightheaded. Maybe I shouldn't have banged my head so hard, either.

"Where's the backpack you were carrying?" Jake asks me. I point at it.

He reaches the bag and rummages through it. "Where's the nectar?"

Everything goes black before I can ask what he means.

* * *

Not this again.

I'm sitting in a pink lounge chair, in a pink room. I know this place; My mom took me here last time I passed out. Am I not allowed to stay awake for an entire day?

"Mom," I whine, looking at no one. "Can you please stop pulling me out of consciousness? It would mean a lot."

A deep chuckle comes from behind me. Just by the sound of it, I know that is _not_ Aphrodite. I turn around, and see a man standing there, watching.

He's not an ordinary man, I can tell. . . Also since his presence automatically makes me want to punch a porcupine, but that's a bit besides the point. He has black jeans, combat boots, a muscle shirt; all dressed like a guy from some biker group or whatever. He has red tinted wrap-around glasses to go along his face with scarred cheeks. Pretty tall, too, and has an oiled crew cut. This guy looks at me as if I can be his next meal, like he's more superior and he knows it, and thinks I need to know it, too. Must be a god.

I look at his eyes, or sunglasses at least, as he slowly makes his way towards the seat in front of me, and plumps down.

I decide to bit my lip; it can prevent me from saying anything before we even begin to speak.

"So you're another one of her daughters, huh?" the guy asks. I'm not sure whether his tone makes whatever he's talking about a good thing, or a bad one. He continues, "Don't expect me to have much time. I'm only here because that girl you saw get eaten by sheep was my daughter. Also since I've been forced to deliver a few messages, but mostly because of my daughter." He shrugs at his tacky explanation of his obnoxious presence.

"You're Ares," I growl. "Could've done something for Alexis, like warning us of what happened. That would be nice."

The god of war chuckles at my response. "I don't fight my kids' battles."

I raise my eyebrows with anger. "You don't 'fight their battles?' I'd respect that a little if it weren't so stupid." I huff and cross my arms.

Ares only smiles at me, like he's feeding on my anger. I wouldn't be too surprised if he really is. "Stupid," he replies calmly. "That's what you think it is. Stupid. I'll have you know Alexis didn't die for nothing, tiny demigod. She sensed a war coming, between not just those carnivorous sheep, but with something very dangerous, and that includes you, too. Those sheep were about to pick one heck of a fight between each other, and Alexis could feel it. She tried to warn you guys, but you wouldn't listen. I was watching while it happened. She took action into her own hands. If you couldn't help but notice, without her death, all of you wouldn't have realized you'd become sheep-meat until it was too late. She saved your lives." The god crosses his arms, proud of that little speech.

"What do you mean she sensed something dangerous that just so happens to include me?" I ask as soon as he finishes. He waves the question aside.

"I need to leave soon, but you should also know that I made sure she made it to Elysium. Anyways, I've got some messages to give before ole' lightning bolt here finds out. First: The guy with the sun, Apollo, couldn't get you any nectar, but only one ambrosia square. He thought it was too risky, considering the times he's helped you with your quest. Apollo said to tell you that, yes, you twisted your ankle badly, and he could only get a pair of crutches for it, too. I don't think you feel any pain now, since you're technically still knocked out. Second: Aphrodite wanted me to congratulate you on using Charmspeak so well or whatever, I didn't get what it meant. And third, this one's from me: I'm not hurting you for not listening to one of my daughters, only because your mom said she was thinking your love story or whatever is getting entertaining. I don't know what that means either, but it happens to the best of us. You learn after a few millennia not to interfere with Aphrodite and her 'work.'"

I blink. "Excuse me?" I thought of extremely awesome comebacks, and that's the one I've decided to use. Smart move, Bell.

Ares shrugs. "Yeah, I'm leaving now." He aggressively snaps his fingers as everything slowly fades away.

* * *

I wake up with a gasp. "Bell?" someone says.

Opening my eyes, I see it's Jake, obviously. He's kneeling beside me as I lay on the rocking boat. "How long was I out?" I ask him.

Jake scrunches his eyebrows. "Out? You only closed your eyes for like two seconds then gasped when you opened them," That's interesting. He stands up and continues, "Anyways, I couldn't find any nectar, but there was a square of ambrosia, and I did notice these crutches on the other side of the room." Just like Ares said.

I carefully sit up, my ankle not agreeing. "Okay." I saymas Jake hands me the ambrosia. I plop it in my mouth and begin to stand up. Jake helps me with the crutches. Once it's adjusted, we look for some cloth, (Jake mostly looks while I'm just turning my head to see anything), which might help.

"Found something!" Jake yells, running back to my aid with a handkerchief in hand. "It's all I can find, sorry." He ties it around my poor ankle, the healing part of Apollo coming to his attention. He stands by my side after he finishes, and I test out the crutches.

"All good," I confirm, nodding. "Thanks, Jake."

He shrugs. "Just, uhm, stay here while I go check and see if everything's alright with Dylan." Before he can make it by the stairs, I swiftly walk with the crutches and block him.

"I can still do things, too." I tell him matter of factly. It's true. Yeah, I may be hiding extreme pain from my facial expressions but I'm still breathing. Breathing seems to be a good sign, if any.

"Bell," he whines in protest. "We don't even have any nectar to help you out here, and it'll only take me a second."

I lean on the crutches. "Jake," I whine back mockingly. "I'm still alive, so calm down." _Unlike others_, I silently add.

He slumps his shoulders, giving in, and puts his arm around me to help me up the stairs. Hey, walking up stairs with crutches is harder than you think.

After making it to the top, I notice Dylan seems to be deep in thought, while still directing the boat around.

"Jake," I whisper, trying not to disturb Dylan. "Do you think everything from our prophecy is coming true?"

He looks at me, and I can see a small hint of sadness in his blue eyes. "I think," he whispers back. "It's all coming out worse than I thought," He moves his arm around my waist, careful of the crutches, and directs me somewhere where we can sit to face each other. Oddly enough, Dylan hasn't heard us yet.

Jake continues, "You see, Malcolm died while in the water, drowning, which basically means '_whilst down afloat_,' I guess. Before he passed, though, we were talking it over and he said '_lucidity_' sort of means something like '_sanity_,' and '_demote_' would most likely mean '_weaken_.' I don't know who might go a bit insane, but it sounds pretty creepy. '_An essence of fear shall lead the trail_;' We heard Alexis scream before we even knew where the cave was, and that makes sense, too, I guess. If you skip a few lines, the prophecy says that two people will possibly die, whether we accomplish something or quit. One of the things that should have happened, '_fleece will bear down upon_,' makes sense, sadly, because Alexis and the sheep and stuff. . . Anyways, in that same line, it's talking about the same thing, I think, about a possible death: '_One in combat_.'"

The two of us stay silent for a minute as I let the new theory sink in. "And what do you think that means, Jake?" I ask him, scared of the answer. This may be pretty obvious, but I need to hear him confirm my idea of the meaning.

He sighs and replies, "I think it means that one of us might die fighting."

I purse my lips. Yep, that's what I thought. "But wouldn't that be an 'honorable death,' like a soldier?"


	18. Chapter 18

**Bell's POV**

I walk beside Dylan with my crutches, still on board the yacht as we sail back to land. It may take a while, and it seriously feels like it, too. Jake decided to go to sleep downstairs after we had our little conversation earlier. _Boys_.

Dylan and I have been talking the entire time, now, two hours. I think it helps both of us ignore what's happening around everyone, if only for a little while. Right now, we're talking about how monkeys eat bananas.

"So they just peel it from the bottom?" Dylan asks me, scrunching his eyebrows and rubbing the back of his neck.

I sit down, leaning the crutches against me, and say, "Well, yeah, that's it." I gaze up at the night sky. It's a pretty view, especially since there's hardly anything to cover the beauty of the stars. I notice a constellation of a girl shooting an arrow into the sky.

"But how are they smart like that," the son of Poseidon continues. "They're only animals, right?"

I cross my arms and look him in the eyes. "And books are only a series of twenty-six letters put into words that fit into pages that form a book, right?" I reply, and go on, "No it's not really like that. . . Not at all. There's more to everything than the average person would bother to think of, you just have to see it in yourself to be able to see it in everything else. There's so many ways to think of things, which is what makes everything great, I think." I stop talking before I make him fall asleep. I don't think Dylan would be very interested in me ranting about perceptiveness and details and monkeys eating bananas and stuff.

He sighs and sits down next to me. When I first met Dylan in Polyphemus's cave, I hadn't really payed attention to him. Now it's all quiet and I can finally rest, and also capture details in someone-like Dylan-that other people wouldn't have bothered to think of. There's a large streak of a rebellious Dylan that I can see. It seems to morph well with the entire "The sea cannot be restrained" kind of thing.

He has spiky, jet-black hair, and is probably only an inch shorter than Percy, his half-sibling. His soft, sea-green eyes make him look like a cute puppy that needs extra love and care. It sort of resembles not just Percy, but also my step-brother, Vincent. Weird.

If you were to walk past Dylan, you'd think he'd be one of those nochalant high schoolers that think they're all _that_, but that's just not him, now that I've spoken to him for the past two hours straight. He's awkward and seems to run his hand through his hair when he gets nervous and awkwardly puts his hand in his jeans pocket, _that_ is Dylan. I think that whole "cool-dude" vibe I felt when I first met him was a bit of a cover up to shelter his feelings, but the real him? That's the awkward Dylan, and it's actually kinda. . . cute.

I fiddle with the crutches and say, "Sorry about everything that happened in the cave. Including when I punched you unconscious. I was already in a bad mood because we climbed those cliffs and it took forever. So, uh, sorry."

I look at him and he looks a bit astounded. "Wait," he replies. "What was that you said? I couldn't hear you, the waves were loud."

I raise an eyebrow at him, but the waves were crashing on the boat quite loudly. They suddenly calm down, like Dylan told them to stop being so loud. Can't he do that? Pssh, of course he did that, I'm not an idiot.

I sigh and just slap his arm. "I'm not repeating it."

He shrugs. "I'll accept that tacky apology, since I am a nice person," I roll my eyes as Dylan continues. "So, Bell, who's your brother?"

I tense up at the question. "How do know I have a brother?" It's the only thing I can ask without sounding too defensive.

He stands up and replies, "I dunno, you just seem like one of those people that have a brother."

I raise my eyebrows at him, but answer the question. "His name is-was, I mean, Vincent. Ten years old when he died," Dylan raises his eyebrows, urging me to continue, and I decide to do so. "My step-mom and him got killed in a car crash, but I survived. That happened about three months ago, now. Yeah, the three of us, um, lived alone together for five years after my dad died."

Dylan crosses his arms. I remember reading something that said crossing your arms can suppress the looks of emotion that that person is feeling.

"Where were you guys driving to when the, uh, accident happened?" Dylan asks.

I close my eyes for a few seconds and, unintentionally, relive the car crash. "We were heading to an end-of-the-year school picnic thing. I dunno, my step-mom just made us go, since she had nothing better to do. It was June 8th when that happened, and I know that for sure." Of course I'd remember the exact date when they died, they were my family, yet I don't think I should also mention the fact that. . .

He slowly nods, letting that little information sink in.

I stand with the crutches for no apparent reason, and have such an extreme blood rush that I lose balance and nearly fall on my back, but fortunately, Dylan caught me. I can hardly hear the crutches fall since my heart is pounding in my ears.

"Bell?" someone asks, but the voice seems so distant. Pain shoots back from my ankle, and I finally realize that I might need another ambrosia square. I tend to be ignoring everything around me, since the pain utterly sucks.

"Bell?" Dylan has me lie down on what we were sitting on earlier. I stutter for a mintue before I can speak properly again.

"I'm fine." I finally say, but I close my eyes and even my breathing, attempting to ignore the pain coming from my poor ankle.

"Are you sure, because you just about fainted a second ago." That doesn't sound like Dylan's voice. I open my eyes and wait for them to adjust, seeing Jake standing beside where I'm lying, Dylan right next to him.

"When did-" I begin to ask, but Jake interrupts me, already answering. "I woke up a few minutes ago and when I came up here, I saw you fall into Dylan's arms."

I slowly nod, trying not to show that my head is still pounding.

"I wish we had more nectar and ambrosia," Jake says to himself, oblivious of my pain. Dylan scrunches his eyebrows as his gaze switches between Jake and I repeatedly.

"I know," I reply. "But we still have to get Melody." I carefully swing my legs over and begin to sit up. Before I can completely straighten up, both Jake and Dylan stop me and gently make me lay back down. I don't really object, because I am having a major headache right now.

"Uh, yeah, don't do that." Dylan tells me.

I give an exasperated sigh and tell them, "It's okay, I'm feeling better now. I've only got a little headache."

No emphasis on "little."

Jake turns his gaze to Dylan for the first time since he came up here, I think, and tells him, "Maybe you should rest. You've been at it for a while now, and I'll be able to steer the boat to land."

I watch as Dylan blinks. "Um, okay," he replies, dumbfounded. "But I was putting some extra speed on the yacht, so if you steer around with the usual, it'll probably take three more hours from now."

Before Dylan can say something else, Jake says, "That's fine. There's a blanket I saw somewhere there. Night." Jake shooes him off and down the stairs.

As he turnes to me, I raise my eyebrows. "What was that all about?"

Jake shakes his head, walking over to the helm. "Nothing. Just relax, okay? You're only like that because you haven't had an actual meal in a few days."

I stand with my crutches in a flush of anger, ignoring the pain, and walk towards Jake. "No. I'm not gonna 'relax.' The only reason I haven't eaten much is because we've been, oh I don't know, trying to save lives?!"

I can tell he's biting back an awful comeback. "Bell-"

I interrupt, "No! What do you have against Dylan anyways? You acted like you didn't want him to be here."

He doesn't reply.

"Well? Have anything to say, Jake?"

He looks me harshly in the eye and asks, "You like Dylan, don't you? I mean, more than just friends."

You're kidding me. This is stupid, even for Jake. "What if I do?" I snap at him.

Before I can hear Jake's reply, if he even has one, I turn around with my crutches and walk towards the small stairs that goes down. I don't hear his footsteps, but Jake puts a hand on my shoulder and has me turn around slightly. We both glare at each other anyways. "Bell," Jake begins, but he speaks the way he did when I first met him; In a blocked way. I hear a difference, too, which is a harsher, colder tone. "You'll probably need some help to go down the stairs."

I shake his hand away from my shoulder. I have my back face him and snap again. "I can do it myself. I don't need you to guide my life around, whether I'm hurt or not."

Jake tries again. "Bell, you-"

"Stop that!" I snap. "Stop trying to be my shield when something so little like a twisted ankle pulls me back a bit. Now if you excuse me, I'm going downstairs, where _Dylan_ is."

With that, I nonchalantly walk down the stairs. The Dylan-card shut him up.

For obvious reason, Dylan is, in fact, in the same room as me, and I know this for sure because 1) He cleared his throat and 2) He's leaning right next to the door, arms croseed and eyebrows raised. I hope that's his happy face.

"Was it really necassary to say my name?" Dylan asks, walking over to me. Instead of staying where I am, in the middle of the room, I find something to sit on. Oddly enough, Dylan sits next to me, too.

"Well," I begin. I honestly don't know what to say, and I think that's saying something. Never in my life, not once, have I been at a loss for words. I've always come up with an excuse to say, and that person would believe me. But now, I don't know, I can't think of nothing good or convincing to say. Dylan stares at me, waiting for an answer, and I've got it: Charmspeak and (tacky) reasoning.

"He's been pretty overprotective, and it's gotten a bit tiring to be expected to let someone do the dangerous things for you," That's the truth. Now all I need is Charmspeak to back me up. Plus, I actually do like Dylan. Not like as in friends, but like as in, like like. But I'd never say that out loud, unless lives depended on it.

I continue, with the hint of Charmspeak, "Plus, I'm here, talking to you. Not with Jake, but with you." I feel bad, honestly, but I think the Charmspeak worked on him.

"Yeah, I get it," Dylan replies as we both look at each other. "I honestly think all the pressure has been on me for a while now, because I've basically been protecting both Alexis and Melody for the past four years now. We've dodged monsters everywhere, and now Alexis is dead and Melody is being held hostage."

"I get it, too." I reply, looking down. It's true. I've been running from monsters for two months, and found a safe haven. But a day or two afterwards, they expected me to lead a quest. No training.

I'm surprised because the first time I've cried since I ran from the orphanage was that night when Malcolm was still alive. Not really before then. Now that I've thought of it, I've forced myself to pull together, and I couldn't even cry for my step-mom or step-brother since their bodies were ultimately crushed beyond repair. Like my sanity.

I never attended their funeral either. I hate funerals. It's sort of saying: Someone you've loved is dead; out of the world forever. This will be the ceremony where you will cry with other people who loved that person, and not talk about that person as much, never again. We will wear the same color and stare at a casket for a long time and talk about a dead person who is now only left in the past. Whatever. Gone.

"Dylan," I say, looking back up to him. It seems like his gaze never left me. "I'm tired."

He nods, leaning closer to me, and says, "Me too."

Then we kiss.

It's not like he kissed me, or I kissed him, but we both kissed each other. Neither of us pulled away either. . . It wasn't like how Jake and I kissed, short but deep-ish. Instead, for Dylan and I, it's pretty, er, passionate I guess. No other way to explain it. It's like he's sure of himself, and that's nice. But Jake and I, that was short, this isn't.

Both of us pull away at the same time, and I feel my cheeks turn a bit red as Dylan's cheeks do the same.

"It's getting late. You should go to sleep, you'll need it once we get back to land." he tells me.

I nod. "Yeah." I begin to get my crutches, but Dylan stands up and helps me, and he walks me over to whatever it's called. I'm not sure, I'm a bit distracted.

"Goodnight." I tell Dylan, who's leaning on the wall.

"If I don't have a good night, I'm blaming you." he replies. I roll my eyes, then he gives me another quick kiss on the lips before leaving.

I plump myself on the cushion and fall asleep.


	19. Chapter 19

**Bell's POV**

My dream? It's so vivid than any other that I've had in the past, as if what I'm dreaming is actually happening. I wouldn't be surprised if that were to be true.

Two men are standing, in what seems to be like the place where we eat at Camp half-blood, but it's not. Only a few pillars, and that's it, as far as I can see. The two are talking to someone else, out of my sight. And all seem completely oblivious to my presence.

One of the guys look familiar, and I realize why: He was the one I saw in the Iris-message while we were looking for Melody. Bushy eyebrows, broad shoulders, dark brown hair; that's him, Psycho Kidnapper.

The other man, who's standing beside Psycho Kidnapper, looks the exact opposite. He's shorter than Psycho Kidnapper, with blonde hair and rather skinny.

"...If they don't get here?" Blondie says, speaking to the person who I can't see. Who are they talking about?

"Don't worry," a small voice, coming from whoever the two men are facing, replies. He continues, "I can guarantee the entire army that they'll make it. They wouldn't abandon a nine year-old halfblood for nothing. They'll be coming, I can promise it." Oh. They're speaking about Dylan, Jake, and I, I guess.

"Yes," Psycho Kidnapper starts, "but what if-"

"Stop doubting him, idiot," a new voice says. She walks into view.

Dirty blonde hair, not like the guy standing farther away from her, but darker. She has bright green eyes and a slender figure, and stands as if she believes she's more superior than everyone there, but obviously isn't. The girl's my age and wearing a mini skirt with a baggy shirt. I know her.

Of all people, it's _her_. _  
_

See, in school (before the car accident) I had a few friends, but none of them were close. I would always be the Forgotten Girl, somebody who sits at the edge of class and mutters the correct answer, only resulting in nothing at all. I knew just about everyones name, but I can't say the same for them. I was left alone, never remembered, and all I did was ignore it.

That girl changed everything. Her name is Kathryn, Kat for short. This person is basically Death in over-priced clothing with an extra blood-red layer of lip gloss and an obsession with guys, if you know get what my term of reference is.

Kathryn, of every living soul in humanity, saw me. She thought I would be a good person for her little clique, and tried to get me to be best friends with her or something. She had just about the entire school get to know who I was within a week of the two of us talking. All she really wanted was someone with a pretty and popular face to gossip with. I wasn't ever interested to be waved off as another one of Kat's minions, but she never acknowledged anything I said. Soon enough, I ended up falling for her stubborn ways of getting other people to like me. It made me feel better, like I could belong, if only for a little while. It was stupid.

In the end, we would always be at each other's throats no matter what.

Back to my dream, now: It looks like whoever I couldn't see left the two guys and Kathryn.

"He always tells me what to do," Psycho Kidnapper whines. "A little kid like him shouldn't be in charge. I should!"

Kathryn glares at him. "Just shut up, got it? Melody isn't the only reason they'd want to come here."

What's that supposed to mean?

"Why should I care?! All we need is the girl to do what we need, then we can feed all of them to monsters!" Psycho Kidnapper yanks a glass from a long table and hurls it at a pillar. Surprisingly, the glass just bounces off the pillar and lands on the ground as if it were a cushion.

"Why will these things never break?!" the guy shouts, then attempts to slam another cup on the stone floor, but just like the first, no harm comes to it.

Kathryn crosses her arms and rolls her eyes. "Because they're made from undead warriors. You know, the skeletons? Only true children of Hades and the god himself can harm the glass."

That sounds weird.

"Besides," Kathryn continues. Jeez, she talks a lot. "You two should be paying more attention; your getting weaker, obviously."

Both of the men scrunch their eyebrows accusingly. "What makes you say that?!" Psycho Kidnapper exlaims.

Kathryn rolls her eyes. "Neither of you realized we're being watched?" She tilts her head a little and looks me straight in the eyes. "We'll be waiting for you, puny demigod," she whispers, and claws at where I am, making me wake up with a start.


	20. Chapter 20

**I was feeling sassy. Don't mind the sassiness...**

* * *

**Dylan's POV**

After I walked Bell to a small room in the yacht, I decided that I could steer the ship around again, with my awesome powers and all.

The thing is, I don't know if Jake would let me.

That's so stupid! It's not like he had anything special with Bell, and he obviously doesn't know that she and I kissed. Obviously.

I walk up the tiny stairs that lead to the deck, not bothering to be quiet about it.

"Hey, Jake," I call out. He's at the helm, looking into the ocean with weary eyes. Once he sees me, it seems like he forced a small grin on.

"You should go to sleep," he tells me as I walk over so we're right in front of one another.

I shake my head in reply. "Nah, it's fine. I thought maybe I could take over again; it might get us back faster."

Shockingly, he shrugs and lets me take the wheel. I didn't think that would be so easy.

"Sure," Jake replies casually. "I could use some sleep myself. Haven't gotten a full night's rest for weeks, really."

I scrunch my eyebrows, thinking. "How long has it been since you started to come after us?"

"One week."

I don't say anything about that. Jake, slowly, sits down on some wooden crates and put his head in his hands. I leave the helm and walk to the other side of the deck, still having the ocean "steer" the boat itself.

"Dylan," Jake begins, looking up at me. I nod and wait for him to continue. "What do you think of Bell?"

Was I supposed to be expecting that? Oh, gosh, now I have to think of something to say!

"She's really..." I can't say a good kisser because that's just not much of a good way to continue a conversation. "Brave." It's true.

Jake seems to perk up. "Brave?"

I nod.

He stands, runs his hand through his hair and scratches his neck. "Yeah, she's braver than people would really think when they first see her. I agree."

What do I say now?

"She's asleep if you wanted to know." That's what I said. Genius.

"Maybe," I continue. "Maybe you should go to sleep too, Jake. You'll need it."

He closes his eyes for a second then nods. "Yeah, sure." He starts walking towards the stairs.

"Jake," I shout over my shoulder. He turns and faces me. "Where do you think we'll be going once we get back? What do you think we'll have to fight for Melody to be freed?"

He crosses his arms and leans on the door frame. "I dunno. I was thinking maybe we'd need to go to this mountain. It's protected by them, though, so I don't know how..."

His words become quieter the longer his sentence runs, only making me more confused. "What? Who? What mountain is bring protected by 'them?'"

He shakes his head and waves the question aside. "How much longer do you think it'll take for us to get back on land?" Jake asks.

"A bit less than an hour, possibly."

Still leaning on the door frame, he says, "You know, we aren't the only demigods to go in the Sea of Monsters and come back out alive."

I raise my eyebrows. "Seriously? Because it's pretty complicated to even get _in_ the Sea of Monsters."

He nods. "Yeah. Actually, it was a very important satyr, a daughter of Athena, and another son of Poseidon." My ears perk up as he continues. "The daughter of Athena, Annabeth, is actually his girlfriend now. His name's Percy. Percy Jackson. He's kinda a big deal."

I haven't heard of a Percy Jackson before, but this guy suddenly seems interesting.

"And do you know him?" I ask. "Percy, I mean."

Jake nods again. "Our age. He looks a lot like you, actually. You'll get to meet him, after we get Melody, at Camp Half-blood. That's a place for people, or demigods, like us. It might be one of the only safest places on Earth for us."

I'd ask more, but it seems that Jake's right about to go downstairs. I decide to have my back face him as he leaves, leaving me alone on the deck of the ship.

"Oh, Dylan! I almost forgot," Jake says. I turn around. "Break Bell's heart, and I'll break your neck." He flashes a smile then hops down the stairs.

* * *

**Bell's POV**

I sit up on the bed, trying to regain myself. I don't think I should tell Jake or Dylan, really. It's only a dream, nothing else.

I hope.

I decide to walk around and cool off with my crutches, silently slipping out the door in case either of the guys aren't awake. I don't want to cause them any trouble, with my idiotic dreams and all. I walk mindlessly around the ship.

This isn't the first time I've had bad dreams.

I've dreamt much worse, experienced more dangerously. Does that even make sense? Sure it does. The only scary thing about this dream is: it felt like it actually was real.

But it obviously isn't.

Gosh, I'm gonna drive myself even more crazy if I keep thinking about it.

Okay. Shut up shut up shut up. You can do this. I can do this. I'm fine.

I blink, realizing that my wandering took me to where Jake is. I know because I almost turned a corner in the ship, but I stopped to where I am now. I can hear his breathing, even and welcoming. I can hear him, but I can't see him.

No. We are supposed to be mad at each other. I will refuse to talk to him unless he speaks first and apologizes.

But for what? What does he have to apologize for again? I don't know; I forgot.

Oh, I remember! I yelled at him. That's why.

Reluctantly, I turn and walk to the other direction of the ship.

What about Dylan? If Jake's asleep, that means Dylan must be on the deck, steering the boat around or whatever.

I let my mind race again, letting the direction of my walking go wherever my heart leads it to (since my brain isn't doing too well with everything else).

This stupid song is stuck in my head. It's stupid because it talks about happily-ever-afters. The term itself is stupid. There's no such thing as a happily-ever-after. That's reality, and you can finally learn to stop being so oblivious and live your life once the cold fact hits you: There is no such thing as a happily-ever-after. There never will be.

Well, not for me, anyways.

But the thought is a bit nice. It may show a bit of hope in the world; where one can walk freely without the fear of danger cutting through.

I accidentally walk into a wall.

Well, the wall is the same corner where I was before. The corner where Jake is sleeping at. There's no door, so I can't really avoid it.

Suddenly, I remember again. I remember the night when we both fell asleep at that hotel. I didn't mention anything about it, but I like his scent, honestly. I mean, everyone has a scent. If you were to go over to your friend's house and get a sweater from their closet and take a nice whiff of it, it would have to smell like _something_. That something would be the scent of your friend. Jake's scent was of old books with a hint of coffee, and also a bit of meadow grass. I wish I could just go up to him right now and give him a hug. We both need hugs right now.

No! Stop that. No hugs. No scent. No Jake. No problem.

I quietly turn back around.

I need to be thinking of my dream right now, and what it might mean.

It might symbolize the fact that I still believe Kathryn is wrecking my life. It could symbolize something that had to do with the glass that cannot be harmed. It might mean that I need to grow up and stop thinking about dreams. Or it could mean that Kathryn and two men and another person that I don't know are the people holding Melody captive for the exchange of me.

I don't think I should be thinking about my dream. I should be trying to _forget _it, not to _decipher _it.

Okay, okay, happy thoughts. Happy thoughts.

I realize I've been pacing in a circle in the ship, because I mindlessly turned around with my crutches and accidentally slammed into a tall, hard body. Looking up, I see it's Jake.

Oh gods. I don't understand! We aren't that close to the corner. I swiftly glance past his arm and see that we _are_ at the corner.

"Oh! Sorry, Jake," I say nonchalantly. "I was just pacing and thinking here. No need to mind me. Whatever you were doing... Just, er, carry on." I wave my arm to the side, inviting him to carry on.

_He's not carrying on._

There's that overwhelming smell again: meadow grass and coffee with old books.

I need to stop that.

"What are you doing up?" Jake asks. He doesn't sound like himself. Well, I mean, yeah, he sounds like himself, but not with that tone. When he talks to me, his tone would be soft and assuring, but not now. Oh, no, that isn't his tone right now. Right now he seems to be blocking me, holding his friendly voice back and letting the sword-trainer-archery-teacher-greek-instructor tone come in, and I don't like it.

"What are _you_ doing up?" I ask back. Hey, when in doubt, repeat it out.

"I just woke up," he replies, then pushes past me.

Now, _that_ made me mad. Not the fact that he used his harsh tone, no, is not what made me mad. What made me mad is that he decided to just _push past me_ and _block me out._ That made me mad.

Why? Because Jake and I aren't like that to each other.

I used to be like that with my _step-brother_, and now Jake is being like that to _me_.

I want to waddle back at him with my crutches and possibly even smash one of them on his foot. I want to yell at him for what he did. And I am not talking about his tone of voice or his pushing past me. There is much more.

But, instead, I do nothing.

I stay standing with the crutches at the corner, my hands shaking with Aphrodite-knows-what, and watch Jake's back as he walks up the stairs.

I don't know what's wrong with me.

Jake doesn't know about Dylan and I kissing. There is nothing between Jake and I. I don't know about Dylan, but I am 98% sure there is nothing between Jake and I. Thing is, that other 2% seems to be triggering.

I take a few deep breaths and regain myself for a second.

This should not be happening. My stupid brain feels like its malfunctioning. There shouldn't be a stupid love triangle. There shouldn't be a stupid Dylan and Bell. There shouldn't be a stupid Jake and Bell.

There should only be a Bell, with a Jake, and Dylan at the back.

Okay, before I push that aside completely, I need to gather a few things first.

Dylan is a son of Poseidon. He is funny and cute. Obviously. He has pleading sea-green eyes unknowingly with jet black hair. He is sensitive at times, but only when he chooses to show it. He can also be stupid at times, but not the stupid when your little brother purposely falls off the bed. He's stupid in a cute and adoring way. I know this because I've talked to him for over two hours, and there was also the time in the cave, but that doesn't really since he got knocked unconscious, twice.

Jake is a son of Apollo. He is also funny and cute. Charming, too (and sometimes a bit cocky, but let's forget about that for a second). He has compelling dark blue eyes, which stand out in such a way with his dirty blond hair. He gets me. I've known him longer. He's gotten to know me better. He knows what to say at the right time.

This is stupid. I'll just lay low and see what happens. My mom can do whatever she wants, now that I just realized she's the one who's been messing with my love life. Whatever happens, happens.

I begin to walk back to where I slept, not bothering to glance past my shoulder and up the stairs on the way there.

A second later, someone grabs my shoulder and slightly turns me around.

"Bell." It's Dylan. "We're here," he tells me.

I stay silent, genuine shock playing in my eyes, and walk up the stairs, Dylan following behind.

He's right; I see land again.


End file.
